Some overseas students at NCUE are not going back to their homelands during the Chinese New Year Spring Festival. The Office of International and Cross-strait Affairs (OICA) gave a gift of a red envelope to each of the students staying in Taiwan. OICA extended greetings for a happy New Year to the students and encouraged them to further explore local traditions and customs during the Spring Festival, hoping they enjoy the warm New Year atmosphere in the winter months of Taiwan.

As an old Chinese saying goes, “The longing for the kin grows greater in every holiday season”. All alone in a foreign land, the overseas students may be twice as homesick during the New Year Season. OICA got the students together in hopes of easing their homesickness with emotional connections. Both OICA Dean Sheng-Hui Huang and Division Head Hsiu-Hui Chang were present.

Dean Huang told the students that the Chinese New Year Spring Festival is when family members get together to celebrate. Many families visit their relatives and friends to exchange best wishes with each other and give red envelopes to children, wishing for a good start of the year. Dean Huang encouraged the students to go on a trip to explore Taiwan’s society, culture and customs, make contact with people and enjoy the festival. She extended greetings and handed red envelops to the students, wishing them all the best throughout the year. Each student responded with a New Year’s greeting in Chinese, such as “Gong Xi Fa Cai” (May you be prosperous), and “Wan Shi Ru Yi” (May everything go as you hope). Everyone celebrated the festival at OICA joyfully.

Dean Huang queried students about their holiday plans and reminded them of taking good care of themselves and being careful when going out, so as to have a happy, safe New Year.