The end of the year is the time for a family reunion, however, the COVID-19 pandemic makes it hard for international students. To help reduce their feelings of anxiety, the Office of International and Cross-strait Affairs (OICA) and NCUE Overseas Chinese Student Association (OCSA) hosted a series of activities, including Christmas parties, luncheons and field trips, which enabled students to get together to relax and get rid of homesickness.
 
NCUE Vice President Ching-jan Chang, OICA Dean Ling-yu Wen, and representatives from the Student Psychological Counseling and Guidance Center and the Department of Counseling and Guidance were invited to join the Christmas party hosted by OCSA. Vice President Chang, who used to study in the U.S and experienced the harshness abroad, assured the students that NCUE and OICA are their homes that have been dedicated to solving students’ problems in Taiwan.
 
The International Ambassadors trained by the OICA also held a Christmas party, sharing Christmas meals and Christmas stories and traditions around the world with the attendees. The party ended with a gift-exchange game full of surprises.
 
In addition, Dean Wen had luncheons with OCSA cadre members and the first-year international students respectively. Dean Wen expressed her appreciation to OCSA cadre members for their hard work in serving international students, and encouraged them to seize the opportunity to learn how to work as a team and develop good interpersonal relationships. When meeting with the first-year international students, Dean Wen inquired about their lives in Taiwan, and encouraged the students by sharing her experiences of studying, teaching, and conducting research abroad. The OICA staff also briefed the students on the important points to note while studying at NCUE, hoping that they have safe and memorable school years in Taiwan.
 
The disruption of study abroad plan caused by the severe epidemic has become a challenge for international students, who may not be able to return to their home countries during long vacations. Seeing that many students suffer extreme homesickness, the OICA organized a trip around Central Taiwan and had a barbecue for dinner, which put an end to the series of activities for NCUE international students at the end of the year.