The Taiwan Tour 2025 was an incredible experience! We got the opportunity to experience many cultural activities in Taipei and Pingtung city in a jam-packed, exciting schedule. These included the First presidents house garden, the National Palace Museum, the Shilin Night Market, the stunning Shifen waterfall, making and releasing sky lanterns, Jiufen Old Street - and that was all during the first two days!
A memorable highlight is all the delicious food. Some of my favourites we tried at the night markets were sweet potato balls, tanghulu, and bubble tea! We also had many delicious dinners, including cooking our own delicious mini hotpots at Shabu Shabu and enjoying a variety of dumplings at the Ding Tai Fung.
We also got the opportunity to visit three schools, including Pingtung Girls Senior High school. All our buddies there was so welcoming and friendly. We were able to join different classes, such as English, PE, Cooking, Chemistry, Music and Design, which was a great chance to be immersed in the culture and practise our mandarin skills. Another fantastic cultural experience we had was at the Taiwan Indigenous People’s Park, where we learnt about various different indigenous groups including the Tsou group and the Paiwan group. We also watched performances from the Tsou group, such as rituals of sacrifice to Gods, food harvest and distribution, and other traditional songs and dances.
Lastly, a definite highlight was meeting our Mandarin teacher Ms Tseng’s family, specifically her mum and sister, who we were very grateful to enjoy a dinner with.
Overall, I am so grateful to have experienced this trip as I have made many terrific memories, made new friends, and been immersed in Taiwan’s culture.
Article written by Maria Burton-Jones.