Going to live in Taiwan this coming summer for a month, Junior Kaitlyn L. will be teaching kids English as part of an internship for OCAC (Overseas Community Affairs Council).
Kaitlyn has mixed feelings about taking the trip because she’s a little scared to be alone because she’s never lived on her own for a month before and she doesn’t know anyone in the program, but also happy about the opportunity. She said, “I’m very excited about this internship but also very terrified since I’m living alone for a month; it’ll also be nice if I get to make some new friends along this trip.”
Kaitlyn learned about the opportunity from a family friend but forgot about it until her Chinese teacher brought it up to her again in the middle of the school year. Luckily, the process for getting into the internship was very straightforward.
The application required Kaitlyn to fill out a form with basic information like email and phone number, and then she had to get a letter of recommendation from a person of Taiwanese descent. Lastly she had to write an autobiography about why she was a good fit for the program.
She will be flying to Taiwan on June 26th but before she reaches Taiwan she will be in Korea for about a week to shop and do her nails before the internship starts.
The total cost for the Taiwan trip will be $8000, including the ticket as well as living expenses. Everything was paid for by Kaitlyn’s mom. “I’m very grateful to my mom for paying for my tickets and enabling me to go to Korea and this internship”, said Kaitlyn.
When Kaitlyn gets to Taiwan, she will spend 1 week being trained by government officials on how to help the kids learn English and then be on her own to teach at a middle school. She will be teaching 5 days a week for 6 hours a day, unfortunately since it is a voluntary internship, she will not be getting paid.
Unfortunately, even when she isn’t teaching, Kaitlyn may have to stay in her living area because she’s not sure if she can go anywhere because she may be expected to stay in the living area provided for her. However, after she is done with teaching, the program will take her and the other people in the program on a 5 day tour around Taiwan. “I feel excited about the tour as I’ve never been to Taiwan but I know it’s pretty small but I’m wondering if we’ll be able to go through all of Taiwan because it’s only a 5 day tour,” said Kaitlyn, adding, “overall, something I want to gain over this Taiwan Experience is to meet new friends.”
