The island I used to live on...
For this open post, I thought I'd write a little bit about the place where I studied abroad. During my senior year of my undergraduate studies, I did an exchange program in Taiwan. I studied Mandarin Chinese and East Asian History there. Taiwan itself is an island country close to China.
My exchange school was actually on that small island that is yellow in the picture above. It's a separate small island from the main island of Taiwan and even though it is so close to China, it is a territory of Taiwan.
What I loved about living in Kinmen was how convenient it was while still maintaining the beauty and charm of a rural place. The environment is very clean and it is a beautiful place. First, check out this Facebook video that Yahoo Taiwan did interviewing my two American friends Bethany and Andrew Stewart. They live and teach English there.
https://www.facebook.com/YahooTWNews/videos/1842210959351306/?pnref=story
Many Taiwanese think Kinmen is a boring place since it does not have the leisure activities(nightclubs, bars, nightmarkets, etc). However, I think many Americans would really like Kinmen since many of us come from smaller towns. The environment is especially suited for outdoor activities. Swimming, running, and cycling are all suitable for Kinmen. However, one should watch out for the weather as it is very hot in the summer while being cold and damp during the winter.
I myself used the Kinmen County bus to get around, but you can also use taxis, bikes, and motor scooters for transportation. Here are some pictures of my exchange university, National Quemoy University.
Kinmen looks like such a quaint little place to live! I am really curious about your stay there. Did you study Mandarin for very long before you went there? And how long did you stay there? Have you been to any other parts of Taiwan as well? I would love to visit Taiwan some day. What places would you suggest to visit to someone who is going to Kinmen?
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