On Oct. 16, a group of over 200 local, exchange, and international TKU students set off on a day trip. The trip was organized by the staff of TKU’s Office of International Exchange and International Education (OIEIE), who led the students along a string of scenic sites, including a former mining town, a raging waterfall, and a quaint old-style village renowned for its stinky tofu.

The first stop on the itinerary was a former mining town in northern Taiwan. As students strolled along the streets of what was once a prosperous mining town, local tour guides told tales of miners who used to live in the area, describing their lifestyle and daily routine. The students listened silently, and asked questions when given the chance.

They then boarded a train and took a bus to a nearby waterfall, which foamed and sent misty vapor onto the hands and face of the students. Despite the rain, students chatted and laughed, and took pictures by the waterfall. Then it was time to light sky lanterns. For most of the overseas students, this was their first time setting off sky lanterns, and they found it fun and exciting. In line with local custom, students wrote their hopes and aspirations on the lanterns’ exterior face. Once student from Japan inscribed his long term ambition “I want to be able to speak Chinese really well”; and as they lit the gas canister inside the huge lantern, and watched it drift up into the sky, the student bellowed in Chinese – with a thickly coated Japanese accent – “This is so much fun!” The Director of the OIEIE, CHI LEE Pei Hwa, said that she felt pleased and gratified to see local and international students interacting and having so much fun together.