iEARN Youth Summit 2011 Diary III

July 18, 2011

            Yesterday I thought I was dreaming about going abroad, speaking English all time, and meeting new friends but today I realized those was real.

            The word “survive” came into my mind

            I promised to myself I would face everything with smile

            Fortunately I brought it with me, the smile from the land of smile:-D

            The first breakfast in Taiwan with new friends was great especially the foods, it was buffet; there were many kinds of food for choosing. I enjoy eating every meal there.

            After breakfast, there was open ceremony. I dressed in Thai dress which chosen by my mother. That was amazing to see people around the world in their traditional dress. The Open Ceremony was wonderful, the Taiwan’s show was wonderful and people were terrific.  

             I felt like we were family. We took photo of our big family for keeping memory. 

            Open ceremony, open my mind and I could see the world.

            After open ceremony, I had lunch (buffet again:-D) with my roommate. Then I changed my clothes and went for Ice Breaking activity.

            Ice Breaking!!!  

            Crack! :-D This was the first Youth Summit’s activity I worked with new friends around the world. I had a team, it was team 11. In this activity we worked with team 10 and team 12, I didn’t know anyone. I told myself that “Don’t be shy, don’t be shy” and tried to help the team as much as I could. Our mission was making picture from playing dough by using the shape the mission gave. My team made the heart from many shapes. We also wrote the words about Taiwan like culture, friends, love etc. 

             English was very important there. Many times I didn’t know the words to say in English, so I’d keep quiet and just smile. That made me loss the chance to do the thing I want. I have to practice speaking English more and more!

           

            The next activity was Taiwanese Culture Experience Workshops, there were many workshops for choosing.

1. Pin Your Country Flag to Your Heart

2. The Beauty of Chinese Calligraphy

3. Chinese Knotting Key Chain

4. Get a Taste of Tai Chi Chuan (Chinese Martial Art)

5. Paper Cut-outs of Chinese Characters

6. Mandarin Learning  

             First, I go for Chinese paper cutting. I learned to cut paper in Chinese character, there were 3 Chinese characters which mean ‘Spring’, ‘Save’, and ‘Lucky’. I was very happy that I could bring my masterpiece back so I can share this with my Chinese Club friends at school and if I could remember the process I could teach them how to do it. After that I go for Chinese knotting key chain workshops, at the first time I was taught I felt Oh! How complicated it is, I couldn’t do this. But when I watched the video of the process for about 10 times. Finally, I could do this. The key chain looked like alien when it was almost finished, we had to add the beads with English letter in the word “Lucky” to finish it.

             I really enjoyed myself and had fun today, the workshops were very interesting. It was happier when I got new friends from the workshops, we learnt new things together (or old thing for them):-D

            In the evening I had dinner with my roommate, and then we went out to convenient store to get some snack.  It was the first time I went out in Kaohsiung, I felt excited. Unfortunately, there was heavy rain there, it made us wet. Before I went to Taiwan, my teacher told me to bring umbrella everywhere to protect me from unexpected rain. I had to give a big thank to her when I went back.

            I went out at night, I saw that the floor near the hotel was shine, it was a beautiful glitter which I have never seen in Thailand’s floor. Am I too unfashionable or strange? Thailand might have the same thing but I have never seen it. 

I should go out more often to see more different world from my own.

Mothita Chuaythong