Word count: quite a lot

Adios, Chicago

Back in March 2026, I knew I wanted to study abroad in Hong Kong or Taiwan to get expeerience living in a new country and to potentially improve my 中文程度 (Chinese proficiency). I eventually settled on National Taiwan University in 台北/Taipei, 台灣/Taiwan and after many, many trials (e.g. housing, visa, course requirements), I am grateful to say that I've started my program!

After several embarrassingly tearful goodbyes, I started my journey to NTU on a Hello Kity Eva Air flight from O'Hare on August 27th, 2026. Thank you to my parents for coming to the airport with my luggage, drive me back home so I could pick up my letters, and honestly just being so patient with me haha.

And thank you to Nuri, Anna, and Kay for dropping me off :)

Day 1: No Sleep Allowed

Thursday, August 28th

• Important context: On the plane, I received an email asking for my health exam and insurance documents to be ready in advance for our September 4th registration. Upon further investigation, I realized I didn't have proper documentation for either. This was basically my main "plot point" for the next week as I navigated the health system in a new country, communicating with my school back at home, and frantically emailing NTU.
• I arrived at 4 AM but I couldn't check into my hotel until 3 PM (me four months ago thought I was saving so much money. me that morning when I arrived was feeling.... a little groggy)
• 5 AM: Exchanged my USD for NTD @ the airport
• 6 AM: 1.5 hour MRT + bus commute to my hotel! I got so lost navigating from Taipei Main Station to the bus station... I think I'm going to meet my family at the airport when they come so they don't have to go through what I did
• When I got on the bus, the driver asked me in English if I was American and I said "oh, yeah!" and then we started conversing. He was so friendly and extroverted; we talked about my study abroad program, Taylor Swift, Las Vegas. Thank you for the warm welcome to 台北 !
• 9 AM: Dropped off my bags at the hotel
• 10 AM: Went to Chunghwa Telecom to get my 90-Day eSim, which I'll have to renew at a different telecom service once it expires
• 中文 TIL: It's better to ask "你会讲英文" than "你可以说英文“ because the latter has the tone of a command
• 10:30 AM - 1 PM: Ordered a drink in English at this cafe.
• 中文 TIL: My go-to phrasing for drinks now: 中杯，正常冰，少糖
• Learned how to print papers at 7/11 using the iBon process; input my medical information into the online NTU system; added my Taiwanese emergency contacts (Thank you, Graham and Elley from NTNU!)
• 1 - 3 PM: Had some curry at this really nice cafe! The waiter was so friendly and accommodating
• Researched the health exam process in Taiwan for NTU Hospital (NTUH) and Taipei City hospitals for foreigners --> emailed the school nurse about doing the on-campus exam and was told a sequence of conflicting pieces of information before I was told I definitely needed to go to an off-campus hospital --> went to NTU International Chatrooms for help --> was advised to visit the on-campus clinic to schedule an appointment with NTUH
• 3 PM: Dropped off my stuff at the hotel
• 3:20 PM: Headed to the NTU Health Clinic to get my appointment set up --> was told that I was actually okay to schedule a late appointment and complete registration at a later time
• 4 PM: The view of Taipei 101 on the way back!
• 6 PM: Knocked out

Day 2: I Stood Up a Pastor

Saturday, August 29th

• 2 AM: Woke up
• 2 - 5 AM: Emailed my study abroad advisor about the health exams to see if any previous UIC exchange students had issues; emailed the school to validate my insurance documents.
• 5 AM: Went to 永和豆浆 for 冰豆浆 and 蛋饼! I was the only one there. The guy asked me if I wanted to sit inside or outside in Chinese and I didn't understand. The soy milk was good but I don't really like traditional Taiwanese breakfast. It seems pretty heavy and oily. 油条is a staple and it's just fried dough sticks.
• 中文TIL: 内用 or 外带 means for-here or to-go
• 5:30 AM: Walked around the park. It was a HUGE park and there were about 10-15 different groups of elderly people doing Tai Chi. Some of them even had matching uniforms. Pretty incredible.
• 6 AM: Went on my first run in 台北! I was nervous because it was so humid out and I normally hate running in temperatures above 70 degrees, but after the first 5 minutes it felt really good to run around.
• 7 - 10 AM: Paid my electronics fee at 7/11; printed documents to prove my student status and ID photos for my dorm move-in
• 10 AM: Facetimed Kou! Thank you for reaching out and making sure I'm okay :pleading_face:
• 1 PM: Uhh.. took a "1 hour nap"
• 5:30 PM: I was supposed to meet up with Graham and Elley from the NTNU Reformed Christian Fellowship since I had contacted them a few months ago online.... but I accidentally woke up at 7:45 PM
• Kind of mortifying. I texted them and everything and they were very understanding
• I was actually planning on attending their church the next day and Graham texted me to ask if I wanted a bento box to join them for lunch. I felt so bad that I told him no, but he reassured me that it was okay. I'm really grateful for him for that second text. I enjoyed the bento box very much.

Day 3: The First Time I Wanted to Stay in Taipei for a Year

Sunday, August 30th

• 2 AM: ahh.... woke up at 2 AM again
• 2 - 5 AM: Emails. Documents. Fighting with the office. Catching up with my study abroad advisor. what else is new
• 5 AM: Went on a run!
• 9 AM: Took the Bus to church. It was only about a 25 minute commute on the 1 Bus. It's called the Dog Friendly Bus!
• 10 - 4:30 PM: Church
• I... had such a good time at church. The family-style reminds me of Bethel. I stayed until 4 PM just talking to people because they're all so kind and interesting.
• Many of these families are missionaries from America who moved here to build the church and witness to the local Taiwanese. One of the missionaries, Sehee, told me that Taiwan is consider more unreached than China since the ratio of Christian believers to the total population is much smaller.
• I truly admire these missionaries and local believers who have truly put Christ as a foundation for their lives. Their lives are truly at the mercy of those who financially support them and show them grace. When they worship, I get emotional because I imagine how much more heavily the lyrics must weigh for these families who have uprooted their lives for the sake of God's kingdom.

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well, with my soul

I know that while in Heav'n he stands No tongue can bid me thence depart,

No power of hell, no scheme of man Can ever pluck me from His hand 'Til He returns or calls me home Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

• I'm praying for them to continue to hold steadfast to the Lord as their full hope; I can't even imagine all the quiet struggles they've gone through and will continue to face.
• I also met two new girls: Audrey and Rosy. Audrey is a high-schooler (insane!!) from rural Idaho who's spending the year at a local high school through the Rotary Program; Rosy is a Fulbright program scholar who's teaching elementary students in 北投. They're both so encouraging to be around!
• As I was walking home, I had a brief moment where I thought, "I could see myself staying here for a year."
• 5 PM: Ran into April, Jeen, and Ivy (what a cute family) and they invited me into their home for dinner!
• April and Jeen are Koreans from New Zealand. April is here for two years for intensive Chinese studying
• I'm so touched by their kindness in welcoming me into their home and making sure I'm settling into this new city.
• 7 PM: Went on a walk to the lake
• It's so safe in Taiwan! I felt so comfortable going into very quiet streets by myself.

Day 4 (8/31): Hospital

Monday, August 31st

• 4 AM: Woke up and decided that I was just going to show up at the hospital and see what happens
• 7:30 AM: Arrived at Taipei City Hospital Renai branch and grabbed a ticket for the physical exam; it was already semi-crowded with a lot of elderly people. Fortunately, I was the first in queue for the physical!
• 8 AM: I went into the physical exam office and there was a very, very kind nurse who helped me get set up. She spoke English to me, got my incorrect information verified with the secretary and walked me over several times to translate, and walked me through allll the tests I needed (dental, x-ray, blood, urine, blood pressure, vision). She saw I needed a dental check-up but I didn't have an appointment scheduled, so she had one of the female residents walk me over to the dental clinic to see if they could sneak in a shorttt appointment for me. The female resident was in her 20s and very kind and upbeat. She could the lead in a C-Drama.
• 8:20 AM: ✅ Got my blood pressure and vision measured
• 8:45 AM: At the dental office, the secretary was initially frustrated with me because I didn't understand her instructions. She said all appointment slots were filled up for the day and I could end up waiting for the entire day without an appointment. Eventually, I said “我今天可以等” and showed her a Google Translate message that said, "I know you can't guarantee an appointment today, but I still appreciate you helping me out"
• I think the initial frustration softened because subsequently they waived my x-ray examination since I was a foreigner and they didn't want me to pay the x-ray fee and then within the next 15 minutes they got me a consulation with one of the dental students! Praise the Lord!
• 9:15 AM: ✅ Got my teeth checked! The dental student was very sweet and she spoke English. I could hear an Australian accent and it turned out that she had studied in Australia!
• I also need to schedule a dental appointment when I get back to the states lol. My teeth need cleaning.
• 9:30 AM: ✅ Printed my proof of vaccination documents @ 7/11 and got them verified by the kind nurse
• 10 AM: Got my tests scheduled by the primary doctor -- he almost missed the urine test until I pointed it out so make sure your doctor double-checks tests when you sit with them! Overall the doctor was patient and kind as well.
• 10:20 AM: ✅ Paid for all my tests
• 10:30 AM: ✅ Got my first blood test and was... handed a tube for the urine sample
• 10:35 AM: ✅ Finished the urine test. This was probably the worst experience. I went into the public bathroom and initially entered one of the floor toilet stalls and it smelled like straight-up doo-doo. I could not breathe and I did not have a place to put my documents. Eventually I went into a different stall and it was much better.
• 10:45 AM: ✅ X-ray test!
• 11 AM: Done!
• Overall, I wish Taiwan's medical system wasn't so complicated (I had to walk myself through 3 different floors for tests lol) and that the school was reasonable about the medical tests it required, but I am very grateful for this experience because I got exposed to a new industry of workers. I really admire all of these employees -- even the ones who are impatient or not as sweet -- because I know they come in to work each day to help people who are often very hard to help. Healthcare is such a difficult industry to work in without getting burnt out, so I admire those who have stayed in it so long and continue to great patients happily.
• 3 PM: I got an email from my dorm saying that I could move in early so I just took the 20-minute bus ride to my dorm with my big suitcase so I wouldn't have to carry so much stuff at once
• 4 PM: Checked into the dorm! I also bought a mattress at the tent outside the dorm
• 5 PM: Initially, I was going to take the bus home, but then I got confused by the bus stations and eventually walked through NTU campus to my hotel; I'm so grateful I got lost because this was a very peaceful and beautiful walk after a long day
• 
• 6 PM: Grabbed dinner at a ramen restaurant; the waitress was kind and opened the door as customers walked out

Day 5 (9/1): Where are you from? aka Move-In Day

Tuesday, September 1st

• 7 AM: Checked out of the hotel and moved into the dorm!
• Throughout the day, I would just catch some exchange students and ask, "Where are you from?" hahaha. Got some WhatsApp/Line #s and I've stayed in touch with some of these girls since
• I spent most of the day buying basic necessities and deep-cleaning my dorm
• 11:30 AM: Bought my first milk tea!
• 3:00 PM: campus Tour!
• On the way to the tour, I walked with a girl named "Ashley" from Virginia that I met during move-in
• Unfortunately, we got split up for our groups... but also a huge blessing in disguise because I got to meet two good friends: Brynn and Terran
• Brynn is from Wisconsin and she spent 8 months in Kaohsiung studying Chinese intensively; she's really cool, smart, and also excited about getting involved in the local culture
• Terran is from Utah and he feels like my little brother haha. I love his energy. He's half-Taiwanese and also thinking about extending his program to a full-year
• I like both of them because they both seem like very genuine people; One thing I don't like about being part of new environments is that people tend to quickly get stuck in bubbles of people they're familiar with, but these relationships tend to be shallow or fleeting
• Fortunately, so far I really enjoy hanging out with them and we've been staying connected through our group chat!
• 5 PM: At the end of the tour, we talked to our tour guides, Adam and Estella, for a bit. Adam is pretty funny and he talks just like an American (LOL). He invited us to play pickleball with his mom at a local school.
• We asked him for advice for exchange students and he highly advised us to get involved with the local students and to talk to them... this will come up again later
• 5:30 PM: Brynn, Terran, and I got vegeterian curry dinner together and then explored the mall!
• Over dinner, we started the 100 Line Challenge! Whoever gets to 100 Line #s or has the most Line #s by the end of September gets treated to dinner! This will be a special challenge for me because my Chinese is especially bad compared to theirs, haha, but I'm excited.

Day 6 (9/2): New Friends

Wednesday, September 2nd

• 9 AM - 12 PM: The longest orientation ever lol. It was just a slideshow of videos.
• 12:30 PM: I got Din Tai Fung with Terran, Brynn, and some new exchange students we met. We were trying to recruit a guy to join our group for Terran and met this guy named Judah from SOUTH AFRICA who was already married to a half-Taiwanese woman here. We hope to meet with his family for some tea.
  
• 2 - 4 PM: Spent the day exploring gift shops and boba with Brynn and Nene, a Japanese girl from Indonesia who goes to university in Korea... talk about International HA.
• 4:30 PM: Went on a run and I tried to go to the lakefront but I ended up on a bridge
• 6 - 8 PM: Attended the first RUF hangout event at Graham's and Emily's (his wife) house! I met their three kids. I also ended up being the only girl beside for Emily, but it was fun meeting all these interesting people! There was a guy from the UK, someone from Singapore, a guy from the Air Force, a local student studying at NTU, and Michael and Ivan! More on Michael and Ivan later. We had curry dinner, then played a wavelength-type game for most of the night.
• 8:30 PM: On the way home, I bought bananas. My first fruit of the trip.

Day 7 (9/3): A Day

Thursday, September 3rd

• It was pouringggggg today. This was my first taste of September Taipei weather.
• 11 AM - 12:15 PM: Worked on this blog at this cafe [insert name here]. The smoothie was delicious!
• 12:30 PM: Met up with Graham, Emily, and Michael in preparation for the RUF tabling event the following day. I got to hear their testimonies and I'm just so amazed by how God works so perfectly through each person.
• Michael is studying cello at NTNU and he's been living in Taiwan for a total of 6 years. His Chinese is so incredible and I really hope to stay disciplined in my studies so I can become more comfortable speaking like him! I don't think I'll reach his level, but I admire how multi-talented he is. We're going to memorize 1 Peter 1 6-7 in Chinese so hopefully I can get it within the next few weeks.
• 3 PM: This was a major fumble of mine. I showed up to student registration without my documents. Kind of walked home feeling a little devastated but eventually God reminded me that It's not that deep. I already had an appointment scheduled with the Office of International Affairs the next day so it worked out!
• 6 PM: I think I went to bed haha.

Day 8 (9/4): RUF Tabling

Friday, September 4th

• 10:30 AM: Arrived at Graham's and Emily's apartment to bring all the items to NTNU campus for the campus fair! It was also pouring outside and we were a little worried about student turnout, but it worked out wonderfully :-)
• 11 AM - 1 PM: Set-up. I met Kenny and Roger. Elley came out even though she had a concussion! We spent a lot of time greeting students, handing out cards and goodies, aaaand accepting rejection xD
• 1 PM - 3 PM: I went back to campus to finish up some of the registration that I didn't complete the day before. Praise the Lord because I got to meet this sweet, Taiwanese lady at the 包子 stand after and we talked for a bit about her life as a tutor here. Also bought some egg tarts for the group.
• 3 - 4 PM: Finished tabling and talking to some local and international students! It made me realize how many students were actually very far from home and looking for community.
• 4:30 PM: After connecting with the Quakers at the stand next to us and dropping stuff off at Graham's place, Ivan took me to his school where he got his undergraduate degree and we visited the canteen. Then we went to his favorite beef noodle place and we both ordered the same spice level but mine was not as spicy as his...
• Ivan agreed to be my language partner to help me 練習說中文 and even offered to take me to the NTU Chinese Fellowship so I could get exposure talking to local Taiwanese students! I feel so blessed for all the brothers and sisters God has put in my life to help me get acclimated to this strange world.
• 5:15 PM: Ivan said my shorts were too short for church lol so I went home to get changed and thennnn we went to the worship night at Thrive Church.
• 5:30 PM - 8 PM: Every Friday night, this bilingual church gathers to worship and pray for specific requests submitted by their church members. I was so touched to see them send prayers for their sister church in Shanghai, which was under investigation by the government, and their pages of prayers from members for non-believing family members, safe travels, and blessings for work.
• This was my first time hearing "Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me" and it hit so different as I was standing there and thinking about all the ways God really changed me in these past two decades of life.
• I met Ale and Serena afterward and they were both working adults in Taipei who I feel I have a lot to learn from! Serena has a testimony channel where she interviews Christians about their walk with Christ; I offered to share mine with her since she was asking for prayers for people to be more willing to share. I hope more people can feel encouraged to speak about God's work in their life.
• Side note about testimonies: After hearing several pastors speak about testimonies, I realized that "it's not that interesting" is no proper reason to withhold your story of Christ's work through you. I can definitely understand the hesitance because my personal walk with Christ has always been fairly mundane, but I know now that God doesn't need big flashes of lightning and miracles to show His almighhty power. Instead of trusting in ourselves to entertain our audience, shouldn't we trust in God to plant the proper seed in our listeners?

Conclusion

This week was a warm welcome into a foreign country. I felt so much of God's grace in the hospitality from the church members, strangers, and workers I interacted with. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to unveil more of humanity through these relationships :) I pray I continue to approach life here with childlike curiosity, seek God with faithfulness, and pour out Christlike compassion!