Next academic year 198 juniors from the six departments of the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures and the English-educated class of Department of International Trade will spend a year abroad in ten countries: the USA, Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Spain, Russia, Sweden, and Poland. The flag-giving ceremony will be held in August, hosted by the Founder of Tamkang University, Dr. Clement C. P. Chang and President Flora C. I. Chang, to wish these students a fulfilling year abroad.

The 55 students of the Japanese Department, the largest contingent, are going to Reitaku University, Kyoto Tachibana Women’s University, Josai University, Josai International Languages, Akita International University, and Nagasaki University of Foreign University. English-speaking countries are the destinations of 43 students from Departments of English, Mass Communication, and Management Sciences and Decision Making: they are going to Brandon University in Canada, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Winona State University in the US. The 14 students from the Department of Spanish will be going to University of Navarra. The 23 students from the Department of French will be going to University of Franche-Comte and University of Jean Moulin Lyon 3 in France, as well as Haute Ecole Leonard de Vinci and Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. The Department of German is sending 12 students to Bonn University. The Department of Russian has 12 students who are going to St. Petersburg State University.

Chen Yu-sheng, (sophomore, English) who will be going to Brandon University in Canada, said that Brandon University was a good choice because the cost of tuition and expenditure there is not as high as that in American schools. Hong Li-ting, English major, asked her teachers for advice before deciding on a school to go to; she is looking forward to living in the US and studying at Indiana University of Pennsylvania: “I finally choose IUP, partly because I want to improve my English ability, and partly because the school is not far from Philadelphia, where I will be able to go to the Philadelphia 76ers’ NBA matches. I feel really excited.”

Chen Kuan-chung, Spanish major, who will be going to University of Navarra and staying with a host family, said: “I look forward to closer contact with local culture and customs, and will definitely not miss the famous Running of the Bulls. I also want to visit other Spanish cities and sample authentic Spanish cuisine.” Hsiao Yu-ting, French major, is to spend a year at the University of Franche-Comte: she did not think that it was luck that gave her this opportunity, for, before the interview and the French proficiency test, she spent long hours at the library working very hard on her French.

A special event was held last Thursday when President Chang, Dean Sung Mei-hua of College of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Dean Shiau Fung-shyung of College of Business, and the Chair of the Department of International Trade Lin Jyh-horng met and talked with the 39 sophomores in International Trade who would soon be going to seven universities in four countries to study. President Chang said that it had been ten years since the junior abroad program began for students of the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures, but that the English-educated class of Department of International Trade was making history by going abroad en masse. She praised the students for having made the decision to study abroad as early as two years ago, and wished everyone a fulfilling year. (~ Han-yu Huang )