Taiwan is my second home
Some families even join forces to organize activities for the students they have taken under their wings. Highlights have included bike tours at night, climbing Mt. Hehuan, dragon boat racing, “anti-drooling ceremonies” for four-month-olds, and trips to Taipei’s Raohe Night Market, where they can taste a great variety of Taiwanese street foods. Erica Lü, who has been hosting students for four years, says: “With seven or eight families all together, we really do go crazy! We hope to enrich the students’ experience in Taiwan, but in doing so, we also add spice to our own lives. Many host families never thought you could have so much fun in Taiwan!”
These friendly interactions have cemented Taiwan’s place in the international students’ hearts. Zeng Xingling says that she was hosting two Solomon Islands students, Stephanie and Patricia, when their country severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan. They showed their indignation by changing their Facebook profile pictures to photos of themselves with Taiwan’s national flag, writing that they would always support Taiwan. And they told their host mother, “We’re family.”
Occasional disagreements, however, can arise between host families and their students. For example, once when Judy Tsai was hosting a student from Burkina Faso, just hours before he was due to leave Taiwan the student asked Tsai to take him to Kaohsiung’s Lotus Pond, even though he would risk arriving late at the airport. Tsai obliged and drove him to the pond in a great rush, only to find that all he wanted to do was to create a Facebook “check-in” in front of the entrance, with the comment: “I have conquered the place!” Tsai expressed her displeasure, and in the end the student apologized for his behavior.
Students from four different countries celebrate their host father Chen Boren’s birthday. (courtesy of Annie Sun)