Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC, has announced the selection result for 2010 Taiwan Youth Ambassador Program. Among the 21 representative groups on the list, there are 4 from TKU, which will go to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, and Paraguay in June. Yeh Chang-chun, who worked in General Affairs Section, Dept. of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC, lead a group of 27 government officials and scholars from ROC’s 15 diplomatic allies in Latin America working in the field of foreign affairs such as Diana Gabriela Valladares, Director, Office of the President, Honduras, and Lorena del Carmen Martinezto, Chief, Latin America Section, Dept. of American Affairs, Min. of Foreign Affairs, Nicaragua, to visit TKU on April 27, 5 p.m., and to meet the 24 students of TKU representative groups at E680. “I hope that the visiting group can share their experience on foreign affairs with the youth ambassadors so that everything will go well when the representative groups go on their mission,” said Yeh.

Received by Dr. Wu Kuan, Chair of Dept. of Spanish, the visiting group got a warm welcome from TKU students’ kiss hello. The members of TKU representative groups spoke fluent Spanish with the guests, creating a joyful atmosphere for the meeting. Dr. Chen Hsiao-chuan, Chair, Graduate Institute of the Americas, who is going to lead TKU representative groups to Paraguay in June, also had a great conversation with Jorge Heriberto Cabral Basalik, Chair of Dept. of Economics, National University of the East, Paraguay, and Lethicia Sther Paredes Sequeira, Direccion de Negociaciones Comerciales, Ministry of Foreign Relations, Paraguay.

Pan Tzu-ying, a first-year master student of Dept. of Spanish, indicated that it was a very special experience to talk to Cesar Agusto Chavez Abrego, Head of Audit Unit, Min. of Foreign Relations, Guatemala. Aside from introducing local food, customs, and tourist spots, he also told the story of the person printed on their bill and explained its meaning. “I’m really looking forward to my first trip to Guatemala!” said Pan.

Yeh pointed out that through sharing experience with TKU students, these diplomats from Latin America could not only establish friendship with TKU but also know better to Taiwan. Ana Claudia Ardon Rodriguez, human right legal specialist, Min. of Foreign Relations, El Salvador, expressed that the campus of TKU was really very beautiful. “I’m very happy to see so many young people love to learn Spanish and its culture,” she said after the meeting. ( ~Shu-chun Yen )