For senior biology major Tina Chen, studying in Taiwan was more than just a family affair. Though her parents and their large extended family are from Taiwan, Tina was born in Ohio and grew up in Yellow Springs. When she decided to spend her junior year studying abroad at National Chengchi University in Taipei, Tina thought she would improve her Chinese and get a better understanding of her heritage. But she did a lot more than that. She met a bunch of new friends as a member of the swim team, traveled over much of Southeast Asia and discovered a whole new side of herself.

Tina worked on improving her fluency at the Chinese Language Center at the university, and she admits that learning Chinese isn’t easy for an English-speaker. But she discovered that “the Taiwanese people are patient and friendly and very welcoming toward foreigners who are learning Chinese, making it a great learning environment.”

When not hard at work on her language skills, Tina joined the school swim team, which helped her make friends with local students from Taiwan and other countries. She says that the other swimmers made her feel especially welcome. She explains that “the time we spent together during swim practices, meets and other get-togethers made me feel like I was really a part of the university here. I had a place where I belonged.”

And Tina now has a much greater sense of her roots. She fell in love with Taiwan, which she calls “an amazing country, full of great food, fun day and nightlife, beautiful scenery, and crazy city life in Taipei.” She also got to travel around Southeast Asia with her classmates and new friends. Her travels took her to Korea, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia. “I must say that this year here has definitely changed me,” she says. “I am now a more worldly and courageous person.”