Letter From Taipei

Ni Hao from Taipei,

Over half a semester has passed since we arrived in Taipei, and I find it unbelievable how time flew. Once everyone arrived in early September, we headed out to explore. Taipei welcomed us with local festivities for the Moon Festival which we all enjoyed from the rooftop of our residence hall. It was wonderful to reunite with my classmates after a long summer, to catch up, and to discover all the parks, restaurants, night markets, and landmarks together. We certainly have been staying busy in the best way possible.

We are enjoying amazing events in the city almost every week, ranging from global conferences to networking events, hikes, Halloween celebrations, and even a lantern festival. I have been loving the warm weather here, which motivated me to go out every day and spend time soaking up the sun with my friends.

This year, everyone in our class has started studying courses that are relevant to their majors, meaning that we no longer have classes at the same times as everyone else. However, what has not changed is the Minervans’ desire to explore and collect memories with their friends from all over the world. People have been taking day trips to smaller, nearby towns to further engage with local communities and experience new activities. Some of my friends have camped for the first time ever in Miaoli, and others have snorkeled to see turtles in Kaohsiung. My personal favorite out of all these new, once-in-a-lifetime experiences was drinking traditional Oolong Tea at the A Mei Teahouse in Jioufen, a town near Taipei that is known for being the inspiration behind the famous anime “Spirited Away.” After warming up with the afternoon tea, we walked around on the Old Street, which was filled with magical red lanterns.

All in all, it has been a very fast-paced, eventful semester, and the rest of it does not look like it is going to slow down either. Friendsgiving is coming up soon. This is a huge event in our community for which a lot of Minervans are making preparations by creating decorations, managing the food menu, or rehearsing their performances for the day of the event.

I am so excited to spend more time in this vibrant city, discovering its night markets, mountains, beaches, and temples. Most importantly, however, I am excited about doing all this with the people who I now consider my extended family - the community of the Class of 2025.

Warm greetings,

Andi
Class of 2025

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