My participation in a volunteer program was quite a windfall. At the time, I had just completed two years of training at my church, and had conveniently secured employment teaching English at a middle school. Then, one day while watching TV, I stumbled upon an advertisement that was recruiting individuals to participate in a volunteer program with the International Cooperation and Development Fund. Of all that I saw, I was most fascinated by the interview with a former volunteer in Central America. I had majored in Spanish in my university days, so it was inevitable that I find these Spanish-speaking nations especially appealing. I called ICDF and passed their telephone screening process. Not long after my call, I received an application form so dense that I didn't manage to complete it until the day before the registration deadline.

I was still somewhat ambivalent about the whole affair, for I hadn't any idea of what it meant to be a volunteer overseas. Later on I received notification to go to Taipei for language and aptitude tests. After passing the first round of tests, I was then notified about oral examinations. The oral exams were divided into three segments: a specific exam, a language exam, and an interview with ICDF staff members. Sometime later, one of the program's supervisors called to inform me that I had passed the preliminary examinations, and that following a health check, I would be allowed to start training. However, she made it abundantly clear that being allowed to participate in the training was by no means a guarantee of selection for the program. With only two openings that year for Chinese language instructors, the competition was particularly fierce-there were five potential candidates including me.

Perhaps the fact that I couldn't forget my enthusiasm for Spanish and Spanish-speaking nations led me to turn down my previous job offer to begin training as an overseas volunteer. Over the course of the training, I came to get a better understanding of the essence of being an overseas volunteer. The training had its ups and downs, of course, but I tried to keep an even keel and apply myself diligently throughout. Fortunately for me, my fellow trainees and I got along splendidly. Where there's a will there's a way, and so I finally completed the training and was dispatched to Universidad Americana in Nicaragua. Thus began my days as a Chinese language instructor.

You could say that it's summer year-round in Nicaragua. The capital, Managua, is still at a developmental stage. The city has been recovering slowly from a large earthquake in 1972, resulting in an extremely spread out layout with no clear center. Looking down the road, you can see that both sides of the road are paved with trash, and passers-by frequently spit on the ground. In such surroundings, it can be difficult to believe that this is the capital city. The gap between haves and have-nots is extremely obvious. There are plenty of rich folk who shuttle around town in their limousines; conversely, seeing beggars and children scraping out a meager existence on the roadside is no great surprise. The way people earn their living is both shocking and pitiable. For instance, they wash cars that are stopped at traffic signals and then exact pay for their unrequited services. People board buses and solicit donations by distributing flyers, or they weave dangerously in and out of traffic to peddle small trinkets. There are even those who capture and sell rare fauna such as toucans or monkeys. Such sights left a deep impression, and made me realize how fortunate I was to be born in Taiwan.

The most important aspect of my work was serving as a Chinese language instructor at what could be called Managua's most expensive academic institute. Another facet of my work was cooperating with local foundations to promote ROC cultural events. I can dimly remember feeling terrified when I first began teaching, partly because of my lack of confidence in my Spanish (which was indeed corrected frequently), and partly because the school vice-chancellor William Lau and his wife, Ana Maria both attended my class.

China and Nicaragua are separated by thousands of miles, so naturally people regarded us as unfamiliar and even mysterious. There is, in fact, a local saying, "me habla chino" (It's Chinese to me), which is used to express the inability to comprehend what someone is saying-this certainly illustrates how exotic we are in their eyes! One time a friend of mine from the office asked me with a combination of mirth and earnestness, "Is it true that Chinese people eat rats?" I recognized this as a local stereotype of Chinese people, so I replied mischievously, "If Chinese people eat rats, than Nicaraguans eat cockroaches!" Of course after this I felt obligated to "enlighten" my friend so that he might better understand us.

There was an instance of culture shock that was quite interesting. I was in the habit of treating my colleagues to candies and snacks that I had brought from Taiwan. However, when my supply ran out, I was no longer able to provide treats. One day, the office secretary asked me, "What happened to all of the goodies?" I was flabbergasted, but then thought to myself, can it be that treating people is an obligation here? I was shocked to receive such a frank question, such an utterance would never part Chinese lips! On the other hand, if giving candies can bring so much joy, then what the heck!

Honestly, I benefited so much from being in a new environment, and I continued to mature all the while. I was thrilled that my Spanish was improving by leaps and bounds, and was similarly excited by learning how to interact with people while abroad, as well as learning how to get along in a work setting. Actually, living abroad isn't too difficult, so long as you can distance yourself from old ways of thinking. If you continually adjust and allow yourself to interact in the new culture as a completely new person, then you will discover the breadth of your flexibility and tolerance. Keeping gratitude in your heart and facing every situation with a smile helps a lot, too! Of course, growth requires a lot of effort, and maturity takes time to develop. I'm grateful to God, my parents, and to all those who have supported me, for without them, I would be unable to face the challenges of being a volunteer. I truly believe that this experience will allow me to be a more broad-minded, more tolerant individual.

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Serving as a volunteer abroad was a tremendous experience that not only fostered cultural exchange, but also allowed the author to broaden her horizons. This photo shows her teaching kids the Mandarin Phonetic Symbols.