Hi guys! I have been in Taiwan for a little over a week and got through my first week of classes. For those who don’t know, I will be in Hsinchu, Taiwan this summer through NSLI-Y, a travel abroad program. I have only been here for one week, and so much has happened. One thing I have to say is that the food is great here! I’ve had so much good food like 牛肉拉面, 小笼包, and 火锅. Also, on this trip, I have been noticing the differences between American culture and Taiwanese culture. Before we got to Taiwan, our resident director was talking to us about common stereotypes of Americans being loud. When I heard that, I was kind of confused, but I soon realized how loud not only the group is, but how loud I am personally. This was evident on the bus where our group was being pretty loud, while everyone else on the bus was quiet. Another cultural difference would be that in Taiwan a lot of people use scooters, whereas the most popular mode of transportation in the U.S. is cars. As far as academics, the classes through the program are super rigorous, and I have had to study for long hours with friends, but it has still been enjoyable. I think my writing skills are improving, but I’m not sure. This weekend we went to Taipei, and it was super awesome. We first went to 中正纪念堂 Chiang Kai-shek Memorial. It was very interesting because 中正纪念堂跟林肯纪念堂一样. After we went to eat 小笼包 at Din Tai Fung. They were very good, and super cool because the restaurant we got them at was known for their 小笼包 and how they make 18 different folds on the dumpling. After that, we went to Taipei 101, which is the second-largest skyscraper in the world, and has the fastest elevator. The view from up top was very cool, and I was able to take a lot of pictures. I also got to see this huge ball at the top of the tower which was made to help the skyscraper stay balanced if there was an earthquake. Even though I was eating the best food, and visiting some breathtaking places, the highlight of my week was in the elevator when a little girl started counting in Mandarin as the elevator was going up. It was the cutest thing in the world!