There are several reasons why I decided to study abroad in Taiwan.
It all started when I first studied Chinese at university, which was the first time I studied a language other than English, and through the process of learning authentic pronunciation and the culture and history of Asia from a native teacher, I gradually became interested in Taiwan. From then, I’ve begun to feel that I wanted to study abroad in Taiwan. In the exchange with Taiwanese students that I practiced in the class, we exchanged information on the local situation, food culture and townscape with each other, which piqued my interest even more.
The reason is that since I was in high school, I have always wanted to leave Japan, go abroad, and make international friends. I think that making international friends will help me to find new discoveries and information, and broaden my horizons.
Most of all, I want to go to build self-confidence. Studying abroad is not an easy experience for everyone. This time, I was honored to seize the opportunity to study abroad. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I would like to study abroad in Taiwan, accumulate different experiences that I would not be able to have in Japan, and get knowledge and values that I can acquire there my own.

Six months have passed in the blink of an eye since I came to Taiwan. During this half year, I met many people and was able to increase my new friends. Among them, I would like to introduce two events that left a deep impression on me.
One is the Dragon Boat Competition held in late June. This event had teams of about 20 people who worked together to compete in racing. Our team, which speaks a variety of languages, was very self-assertive and lacked cohesiveness. However, as we practiced more and more, we developed a sense of cooperation, and even won a prize at the competition. The sense of accomplishment from doing something together with students from many countries was great.
Another thing is that I traveled around Taiwan by myself. I'm not fluent in Chinese yet, but I wanted the confidence that I could do it on my own, so I went on a trip. There were a lot of things I didn't understand, but the local people kindly talked to me. I went to ask questions and was taught myself, so I was able to finish it safely. It was a trip that was perfect for the phrase "it will work out".
Through these experiences, I realized that language is an important tool to connect people. I would like to clarify my goals so that the rest of my study abroad life will be fulfilling.

When I looked back after finishing my study abroad, I realized that it was a very fruitful year. This was my first experience studying abroad, and I encountered many obstacles. The first barrier I faced was the language barrier. In the beginning, when I could only speak Chinese at an elementary level, and the top of the barrier felt like it reached the clouds. However, as I learned more and more each day, I came up with strategies and was finally able to see the top. As I approached the latter half of my study abroad experience, I began to believe that I was a language rock climber, and decided to take on any obstacle that came my way. I found that even though the walls looked high from the base, when I actually started to climb, I was able to reach the top in a surprisingly short amount of time. I don't think just anyone can have the desire to try anything, so my future aspiration is to become a professional language rock climber who can climb any wall I come across. For that purpose, I have to build up my stamina now, so I want to do my best not to languish in my efforts every day.