Students Stories
Name：Forest Stern
Nationality：Israeli
As a sinology studies university graduate, Forest harbors a strong interest in East Asian (Particularly Chinese) history and culture. On the verge of finishing his first year of studies in the CLD in Taipei, Forest sees this city as a beautiful combination of the old and the new, tradition and modernity. Brightly lit bustling commercial districts neighboring small alleyways, curving lanes dotted with grey buildings and a calm ambiance, all backdropped under Taiwan’s all-pervading lush green environment – for Forest, this environment is an unending source of beauty. Add to that the Taiwanese people with their optimistic nature, “You very often see in Taiwanese news media food suggestions and restaurant introductions, a thing that is not as commonly seen in news outlets in other places” he adds, that while it may seem naïve, it actually demonstrates strength and positive thinking. It is precisely this Taiwan that causes him to feel comfortable and plan to continue his studies here.
- Mr. Stern’s Hometown: “Tel Aviv” Israel’s main economic hub, Forest terms it a “parties and nightlife city”. A cultural hub known for its international, open, and lively nature, every year it also holds one of the world’s biggest gay pride parades: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Aviv
Date：2017/06
Name：Eizaburo Ariyoshi
Nationality：Japan
Mr. Ariyoshi fell in love with Taiwan on his first trip here in 2013. Without any previous knowledge of Chinese, he had decided to move to Taiwan and started his Chinese courses here in 2015. After almost 2 years of learning, now he is as fluent in Chinese as native speakers. He humbly owed this as CLD teachers’ outstanding teaching, and the advantage of our small classes where he has chances to practice a lot. He loves Taiwanese hospitality, and that people in Taiwan do not need to spend much money for a pleasant and enjoyable life. Here, he also met his partner who is fond of sport as he is. Upon seeing his smile and listening to the lovely stories of their daily life, you will definitely be touched and fall in love with Taiwan as well.
Mr. Ariyoshi’s hometown “Chiba”：http://japan-chiba-guide.com/en/index.html
Date：2017/05
Name：Teresa Szu-Yu Chen
Nationality：Australia
As a Chinese heritage, Teresa realizes the importance of a language to a culture. And she is very proud of being able to understand and respect 2 different cultures. She impressed her teacher with her great progress in Chinese learning within less than 3 months, especially in her reading and writing skills. Aside of everyday practice, she shared her tip in learning Chinese characters: the key point is to know the character structures. And she would use the parts of a word to make a story to help her memorize the word. For examples, “態” consists of “能 (can)” and “心 (mind/heart)”. And “態度 (attitude)” is just like what your “mind” “can” do.
When you try to memorize a Chinese character, try to decompose it first.
Teresa’s hometown is Wanxing Village, Shuilin Town, Yunlin County, located in south-west of Taiwan. It is a nice little town which is 40 minutes away from the closest city. You may experience the atmosphere of Taiwanese agricultural life there. If you visit there, you may happen to see Teresa’s father’s big farm as well.
Date：2017/04
Name： Marta Lopez
Nationality：Spanish
Ms. Lopez had worked in the airport in Paris for 6 years, where she met a lot of Chinese-speaking tourists. And this is what led her to study Chinese here. This is her second season in the CLD. For her, Taiwan is as friendly as her hometown in Spain, a small town by the sea, Pilar de la Horadada. The local markets and fresh food here made her feel like at home. Though Taipei is rainy and humid, this is a passionate and safe city where she wanted to stay for long. Now she is planning to start a business with her boyfriend in Taiwan. Let’s wish them good luck!
Ms. Lopez’s hometown “Pilar de la Horadada” is located in south-west of Spain, here is a video of it, take a look of this beautiful place:
Date：2017/03