I Graduated!

Yes! Yes! Yes! I can finally say it...I have "graduated" from my year as an exchange student at Songshan High School of Agriculture and Industry!! You know, the place where I wear the bright turquoise and white striped uniform five days a week, am surrounded by thousands of Taiwanese students everyday, who yes...sometimes I cannot tell apart, where I spend two days a week at a farm, and the place where I have experienced SO MUCH! I might just be singing and dancing along to the music in my ears, as I lay in bed writing this tonight! Woooohoo!

My year of education at this school has not been an easy journey.  More often than not, it was a difficult. There was surely not much to the education that I received in terms of studying a book or listening to a teacher.  It certainly was a different sort of education. I will explain. In Taiwan, from a young age, the students are subject to a great deal of pressure about their schoolwork from both their parents and teachers. This so unfortunate and intense for the students.  When I say intense I mean, a school day that starts at 7:30a.m. and finishes around 5:00p.m. For most students, a CRAM school follows at least one of their school days, ending class at 9:00p.m. In either case, a regular school day, or one including a CRAM school is always followed by a lot of studying.  There is testing everyday, and school on Saturday and Sunday too. "Intense", may not be  a word big enough to explain it.

I use the word "unfortunate" when explaining the education system here, because it simply just is. As a girl who will proudly say, I really enjoy school, homework, and learning, there was not ONE day that I spent at this school where my heart didn't hurt for my classmates and the other students here in Taiwan. Lucky for me, because I am an exchange student and I chose to spend my year learning the Mandarin Chinese language, I had no ability to be an actual part of class everyday, attend the hours of class on weekends, or complete all the homework required. But, I did have the opportunity to spend everyday in the back of my classroom or in the library as an observer, while studying the language I so wanted to learn.

As my classmates and other students study to get that A in order to fulfill their parents expectations, I watched and studied three books of Chinese. I watched as a room of students dressed in turquoise in blue sat quietly for fifty minutes every class because they are not allowed to raise their hands and ask questions. My room has fifty students, sitting at fifty brown and green desks in a white room, a chalkboard (not a whiteboard, or a SMARTboard), a closet to store the trash cans and the dust mops for them to clean the room in the morning, lunch, and afternoon, and that's it. They sit in the same classroom for every hour they are at the school including lunch. Their ten minute breaks in between each class of the day, are spent studying or sleeping. At age 17 and 18, they still have an hour for nap time and eating lunch. They don't enjoy a class like P.E. for fresh air or exercise, but instead bring their books and study as they walk around the track or sit under a shaded tree. I could probably go on, but I am going to stop here. All of that, are things that are missing so much CREATIVITY AND LIFE. Think about those two words for a second. Creativity and life...such wonderful words full of creativity and life themselves. I could write about the way my education has been for the last fifteen years, but, I think for most of you, the differences are obvious.

And again, it is just simply put by saying it is unfortunate. From the moment I walked into the school on September 5, 2012, I was ready for a learning challenge, to meet the classmates I would be spending a year with, and the teachers that could help me with my Chinese.... because boy....I knew I was going to need it, and to live the life of a Taiwanese at a Taiwan high school. But soon after September 5, all my hopes, which at the time I don't think were set to high....were slapped right back in my face. None of it was seemed to even be a possibility, no matter how hard I tried. The first month at school, I held back that lump in my throat to not cry, until I arrived home and could let it out to my pillow. Every day that first month was the same.  The next day, I would get up and try again at school, entering my classroom, attempting conversations with my teachers, and my classmates, trying to find ways to challenge myself with ways to learn at the school, and become a part of the life that I threw myself into! But as each day went on, my hope was dwindling and so was my positive attitude.

This education system in Taiwan completely influences the culture and people.  For me, it is too much and in too many ways. Education in Taiwan takes over lives.  It is the reason for lack of family life in the country, the reason most people are so shy and insecure.  It is  the reason they lack interest in the world they live in and the people in it.  Taiwanese rarely show their emotions and seem to lack creativity from within.  For many, it seems they just don't have a LIFE that means something more than studying and moving on to the next test. This hurts to write, but hurts even more to see and experience first hand. I wish I could just snap my fingers and make things better.  It seems like it could be so easy to change.  But this is life in Taiwan.

As the year progressed, my language improved.  It was easier to accept the way of life here and conisder it all a challenge and do what I would needed to do to be successful at school and on my exchange. I was often able to help the English teacher with her English class.  I found this was a great way to exchange language. When I had the opportunity, I shared myself with my classmates and teachers, even if I knew I wouldn't get much back. I know that as I return home to the US and continue with high school, I will continue to reflect on my experience here in Taiwan and realize many other things about my exchange for the past year in Taiwan.

But, I DID IT!!! I have learned a lot about an education system and experienced what a Taiwanese school and classmates are really like. I was given my completion certificate from the school principal and made a small speech to the graduating class. My classmates gave me a nice going away party full of unhealthy snacks and some not so good karaoke. I am glad we got to spend our last moments together having a little fun!  Thank you to the teachers and students at Songshan High School of Agriculture and Industry for hosting me at your school!