The Office of International and Cross-strait Affairs (OICA) at NCUE hosted a farewell banquet for exchange students and students from Mainland China. The representatives of exchange students gave acknowledgment speeches at the event, expressing their reluctance to leave and showed their appreciation to both NCUE and their home universities for offering exchange opportunities. They indicated that they proudly regard themselves as NCUE alumni and recommend people to visit Taiwan and NCUE. Their learning journeys in Taiwan teach them to understand, appreciate and respect different cultures. They encourage NCUE students to grab the opportunity of studying abroad on exchange. People from all over the world can create a better future together by learning from each other.

The student attendees are from Mainland China, the U.S., Spain, Germany, South Korea, Malaysia, among others. Professor Catherine Legeay-Guillon from National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations, an NCUE partner university in France, was present at the banquet. Besides giving his greetings to Professor Catherine Legeay-Guillon, NCUE President Kuo expressed his hope that the students had a great learning experience at NCUE, enjoyed their time in Taiwan and fulfilled their wishes in the past few months. President Kuo then conferred the Certificate of Completion of Exchange Program to the student representative of each university, and Dean Cindy Huang of the Office of International and Cross-strait Affairs awarded the Certificate of Appreciation to the students from the Mainland for their excellent volunteer performance during the International Week in last October.

On behalf of the students, Xi Li from the Northeast Normal University of Mainland China and Anton from Berlin University of Applied Sciences gave an acknowledgment speech in Chinese and English respectively. Hsi Li stated that she will miss those days at NCUE, where she studied, jogged, swam and biked. She had good times at the dorm, library and classrooms. The memory of searching for local delicacies around campus will also stay forever. She met the teachers, schoolmates, friends, as well as explored the mountains, forests and wonderful time here in Taiwan. Xi Li described Taiwan as a charming island that attracts exchange students and always makes them feel welcome. She and many exchange students now share the identity of NCUE alumni that enables them to tell people: “Taiwan is good, and so is NCUE. You are welcome to come to visit”!

According to Anton, when he first arrived in Taiwan, he had no clue why Portuguese called Taiwan “Ilha Formosa”, meaning “beautiful island”, which remains in common use among English speakers. Not until did he traveled around Taiwan he realized the richness and fascination of this island, whose beauty is worth saving. He pointed out that exchange programs offer opportunities for students to understand, appreciate and respect different cultures through learning from each other. Fairness and kindness are the common principles for the whole of humanity, said Anton. Last century, many cultural and political walls fell down, and so will the rest of them in the future. People have to be ready to live in a world without borders and prejudices. He encouraged NCUE students to find and use opportunities to travel and immerse themselves in a different culture to build a better future together by starting from learning more about one another.

Anton expressed his appreciation to NCUE teaching staff, who dedicated their time offering help to exchange students, and OICA and the student buddies, who were always there for exchange students whenever they were in need of help, even if it’s late at night, in early mornings or on weekends. He was also grateful to the locals who always made him feel at home.

The students from Shandong Normal University, Qilu University, Hainan Normal University and Shandong Normal University later performed K-POP dance, martial arts and songs on the stage. Then OICA played a slideshow composed of photos featuring the exchange students’ lives in Taiwan. Students recalled moments of their learning journey in the past four months. In the grief of parting, all the teacher and students raised a toast and expressed appreciation for the opportunity of meeting each other, hoping to meet again someday.