First month in Taiwan

 When I heard the announcement, "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Taipei. We've just landed at Taoyuan International Airport, where the local time is fifteen twenty-five in the afternoon.", I realized it would be a long time before I could see my family again.

 I've been to Taiwan for a month. I stay in Hsinchu. I'm a student abroad studying computer science at National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University on a scholarship. I have achieved my dream.

 My journey to apply for study abroad was urgent and arduous because I initially had no intention of studying in Taiwan. The first day I arrived in Taiwan was September 6th, late for a week. I missed orientation day and the first class.

 I got sick in the first week due to the weather change. I realized no one cared about me. I have to google for my medicine. I miss my mom. I didn't know how much my mother cared for me until I was away from home. I am also not familiar with Taiwanese food. It took me a long time to get used to the food here. I never have to worry about buying essentials. I don't know what I need to buy. I don't know which shower gels, shampoo, toothpaste. I don't know which SIM to choose. My family does all of it for me.

 The education programs of each country are not the same. I was pretty shocked when, on the first day of linear algebra, the teacher gave me a bunch of matrix exercises and corrected them at x2 IELTS Listening speed. I thought I missed the theory class, but then I asked my classmates and found out that I had learned everything in high school, and this class was just a review of old knowledge. During the first few classes, I almost became a deaf-mute in class. In Vietnam, I could have asked my friends to explain it to me again, but here, I don't know anyone. I had to sacrifice sleep to study matrix theory. However, the students have not learned derivatives yet :D

 I didn't know Chinese. I have to start from scratch. All the department events are held in Chinese. Also, it costs a little money. The secondary reason is the language barrier, the main reason is I am a cheapskate, so I skipped all of them. But now I regret it cause I missed the meeting days when I could meet all the other students. Millie is the first Taiwanese person I know. She was the one who got me out of university and introduced me to the city. Andrew, Ben, and Thomas are my roommates. They helped me a lot, too. They also helped me feel less homesick. Michale, Kelvin, and other students I didn't know helped me when I got lost in the university.

 After a month in Taiwan, experiencing the high-speed train, subway, and convenience stores, I realized that my country still has much to develop. The queuing culture is what impressed me the most. In Vietnam, queueing is very difficult as almost everyone tends to cut in line.

 My English vocabulary about Vietnam has also increased rapidly as I continuously introduce the country to international friends. I have also learned some basic Chinese communication sentences, the second most popular language in the world, opening up many new opportunities. In addition, I also have the chance to gain new perspectives on the development of society, knowing what international friends think about our country.

 If someone asks me if studying abroad is great, I will say yes.

 You have to stay up late for a long time to make up for the lack of knowledge. Sometimes, you will miss your home, miss Vietnamese food, and feel lonely and lost in a strange environment. You will realize that it hard to make new friends. Sometimes, you will have to witness groups of friends talking and laughing with each other while you could only return to your dorm. You miss your groups of friends.

 But you will constantly improve yourself. Gradually gain new knowledge. Gradually, I learned how to get to know and talk to strangers. Gradually mature over the years.

 I think I made a right decison!