Short as it might be, a two-day trip to Nantou County built up a special bonding among international students at NTNU. The trip was planned and led by staff members from Office of International Affairs (OIA). Students from India, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and other countries visited Cingjing Veteran Farm, Sun-Moon Lake, 921 Earthquake Museum, and some other famous tourist sights in Nantou County.

"They (international students) would have a chance to know more about the country and make more friends through the trip as well,” said Dean of OIA Chuang Kun-Liang (莊坤良) right before the trip. Apparently, the purpose was well served. The trip was full of joy and happiness. On the tour bus, students from different countries sang ballads of their homeland and told jokes, and laughter was the universal language. Students also shared their life experiences and ideas while they were enjoying traditional Taiwanese cuisine.

The first stop was Cingjing Veteran Farm. After three hours’ bus ride, students can’t wait to immerse themselves in the fresh air and the scenic wild greenery. A causal stroll on the mountain trail brought peace and relaxation to the mind. Students spent a lovely afternoon there, taking pictures with friendly sheep and enjoyed an entertaining herding show.

At the arrival at the hotel, the beautiful sunset and the amazingly gorgeous view by Sun-Moon Lake took everyone’s breath away. After checking in the hotel and dining, a group of fun-loving people toured around the lake side. Coincidentally, there were an orchestra band concert and choir celebrating the coming Christmas at the Pier Square. Students also had great fun taking pictures with local students in Santa and angel’s costumes.

With the goal of drawing more tourists, the hotels around the lake side created various attractions in the area, making the lake side a perfect picture-taking spot. “Wu-ba-ge,” students from India shouted excitedly in their mother tongue for “another vertical shot”. And later, students from different countries soon picked up the line “wu-ba-ge” to ask for more photos of themselves and made great fun out of it.

After a good night’s sleep, a visit to WenWu Temple and the native Thao village brought students closer to the life of the local people. Yusupha Touray (杜祐舒) from Gambia was fascinated while listening to the tour guide explaining the practice of requesting answers from the sacred oracle lot. Students also had the leisure of walking in the native Thao village and the market fair.

The last tour sight on the itinerary, 921 Earthquake Museum, was rather educational. Pictures and earthquake ruins not only recorded those horrifying moments, but also witnessed the power of nature and the altruistic love among man kinds. Kosin Phonmang (郭成) from Thailand said that those photos reminded him of the horrible tsunami in Thailand years ago. Students from regions where earthquakes were hardly experienced were shock by the destructive power of the earthquake.

On the way back to Taipei, Ugur Rifat Karlova (吳承鳳) from Turkey expressed gratitude toward staff members from OIA on behalf of other students. “We appreciate the thoughtful arrangement by OIA, and enjoyed the tourist sights on our itinerary. I love Shida, and I am once again touched by the friendliness and passion of people in Taiwan,” he said. Students all looked forward to another trip together at the end of the two-day trip.

The trip was organized and funded by OIA, but due to the limit on budget, only 30 vacancies were opened for registration. Nevertheless, OIA promised to host more trips in the near future.