Summer Language Camps in Taiwan: Five Firsthand Accounts

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Thinking of bringing your children to Taiwan for the summer to improve their Mandarin Chinese? A refresh of our article from two years ago, “Summer Language Camps in Taiwan: Five Firsthand Accounts,” this time we profile five Taiwanese American families* who enrolled in camps, some a little off the main path, to assist in their children’s Mandarin Chinese learning. Information current as of July 2019. *Some names have been changed Seeking A Cultural Experience - Karen Karen was…

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Sharing Spaces: Taiwanese Indigenous Art Connects Tradition with New Audiences

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Djanav Zengror’s greeting flies through the air, and then the rest of the Ayi-Yanga troupe fills the cozy lounge of the Hearst Museum of Anthropology with harmonies. Within the intimate room, the music transports us to a wide-open space and readily calls to mind the verdant mountains of Taiwan. Their song, “Home Direction” (指路), starts with the hunter’s call. When his people hear him, they run to welcome him home. Through the interpreter, UC Berkeley student Cynthia Ji, Zengror explains…

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STEP Taiwan: The Taiwanese American Experience

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     I grew up in the land of apple pie, Friday-night football games, and white picket fences. Some weekends, I would drive up to D.C. and see tourists decked out in their new Washington D.C. souvenir T-shirts, posing along the National Mall – all while munching on their great American hot dogs. Whether intentional or not, in my distinctly American neighborhood, I was fully immersed in its popular culture, traditions, and the overall lifestyle. At home, however, I was…

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Balancing the Trifecta: Growing up Taiwanese, Korean, and American

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  There are 27 picture frames on the wall next to our staircase, each chronicling flashes of the life I know. Pictures of my mom and dad on a vacation to Italy while they were dating, pictures of my brother and me in Mexico, pictures of my brother as a toddler in a pumpkin patch. Pictures of my grandpa’s 60th birthday party, of my parents playing golf with their friends, of my late grandfather with my cousins, of my brother and me sitting on a swing set in Korea. My parents immigrated…

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Register for Taiwanese American Summer Camps

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Summer camp season is quickly approaching! If you’re unfamiliar with the many non-profit Taiwanese American community organizations that host these excellent home-away-from-home youth summer camps, be sure to explore the ones below. They all have talented and committed counselors and staff with a strong sense of personal identity and leadership skills. They are on a mission to help grade school through high school-aged youth grow as individuals and as part of a strongly networked community. Read…

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Taiwanese American Women’s Convention & Filmmaker Panel

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The purpose of North America Taiwanese Women's Association 2nd Generation Chapter is three-fold: (1) to establish a network consisted of 1.5- and 2nd-generation Taiwanese American and Canadian women (2) to cultivate and promote talents among young Taiwanese American and Canadian women (3) to preserve Taiwanese culture and promote Taiwanese American and Canadian identity. The 2018 national convention will be hosted in Los Angeles at the LAX Renaissance Hotel during the weekend of April…

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All Quiet: An American in Taiwan’s Perspective on 228

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By Joyce Chen, edited by Leona Chen Editor’s Note: American-born Taiwanese Joyce Chen is a first-year international student at National Taiwan University. On the 71st anniversary of 228, Taiwan is, she observes, harboring a strange ambivalence. This is not to ignore the indigenous protests for transitional justice or the demonstrations that did occur this year. In Taoyuan, a group of young pro-independence activists covered the tomb of Chiang Kai-Shek in red paint to symbolize the estimated…

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Five Ways I Understand my Parents Differently Since Becoming a Mom

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By Evita Wong Reprinted with permission from her blog: Mom, Take One I’ve pretty much always been close with my mom and my dad. I never really went through a notable rebellious phase in my teen years, and my mom has always described my personality as a kid as “xi nai,” or “adorably affectionate” in Taiwanese (I may be adding the “adorably” part). So, of course, I’ve always known that they love my sister and me. But, since having Emmy and experiencing how my heart comes close…

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Summer Language Camps in Taiwan: Five Firsthand Accounts

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Thinking of sending your children to Taiwan to study Chinese but don’t know where to begin? In this article, we profile five Taiwanese-American families, detailing their language-learning goals, which camps they chose, and their recommendations and tips for others looking to do the same. (Side note: If you’re in Taiwan and have time to kill while your kid is at camp, read this article: 9 Beef Noodle Soup Restaurants to Try While Your Child is at Summer Camp in Taipei) First-Timers - Cathy Cathy…

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Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Taiwanese American Heritage Week!

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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is celebrated nationwide during the month of May to honor the cultures, traditions, and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. In June of 1977, Congressmen Frank Horton (NY) and Norman Y. Mineta (CA) introduced a House resolution that called upon the President to proclaim the first 10 days of May as Asian/Pacific Heritage Week. May was chosen because in 1843 during the first week of the month, the first…

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