First week in Taiwan

by Christian Vince Atienza and Ryan Collin De Leon

    Every man has his own dream. If you’ll be asking what my dream would be? My answer is to study abroad to have international degree. Who would have thought that I and my 14 other classmates shared the same dream? Well, some of you might think that it’s just a part of Filipino culture Xenocentrism, accepting the idea or culture of the other rather than of one’s own. You’re absolutely wrong but I suggest, you should experience how was it studying in Manila before making judgement. I’m not pointing out that Manila’s fine standard of education for tertiary level is not that conducive as it is supposed to be. As a matter of fact, it has superior level of conduciveness that also triggers high level of stress especially for us engineering students. I want to agree with one of my professor, he said in non-verbatim form that a person leaves to his country because the government fails to provide a good environment for its people. 

   They say dreams do come true and yes we’ve proven it. We’re fortunate enough that Adamson University and Minghsin University of Science and Technology created a twinning agreement. The agreement was designed to send students in Taiwan to study Mechatronics. Yes, Mechatronics a 21st century technological skills that fill the gap of Mechanical Engineers and Electronics Engineers. Yes, the technological advantage that our government fails to provide. We’re fortunate that there’s an agreement like that but we’re even more lucky ones that Adamson University offers study now and repayment program. An aid for most of us financially incapable to expend above average standard of living and tuition fee in a year.

   The 2-month long wait and papers processing from birth certificate to plane ticket has come to an end. As we, the 1st batch are now soaring to greater heights of new challenges in Taiwan. Accompanied by our department head Engr. Antonio Doroliat and successful alumnus of AdU-MUST program Engr. Basil Bautista, our plane touches down Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport last September 12, 2016. Sir Murphy and Sir William from MUST International Service fetched us around 8 o’clock in the evening with a bus and brought directly to one of the male student dormitories in Minghsin University of Science and Technology which is located beside the ballpark. Meanwhile, our mentors both stayed in a hotel nearby.

   We ate burger and fries for our dinner to ease hunger from the trip and slept afterwards. Our first night here made uncomfortable because we slept without beddings and pillows. Morning of the following day, we went to 106 conference room, first floor of College of Management Building to submit our documents for registration. The College of Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Faculty warmly welcomed us fifteen students inside the room. The College of Engineering, gave each one of us a power bank with a flashlight built on it and even Dr. Li of Mechanical Engineering Department treated us a milk tea. After that, they clarified in the conference about the total expenses in the university including the airport pick-up service, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), and the 6 months New International Students’ Medical Insurance (NISMMI). We also talked about our dormitory concerns as everyone requested to transfer to Ti An Building, a dormitory outside the campus but it is also a school property. After the conference, we had our lunch at the school restaurant accompanied by Engr. Doroliat, Engr. Bautista, and Engr. Bettina To which is also an alumnus both Adamson University and MUST, where the viands are weighed for its price.

   In the afternoon of the same day, we bought our necessities needed particularly the beddings, pillows and toiletries in 10-10 (as they called), a store along Xinxing Road. Back to dormitory, since there is no internet yet in our rooms, most of us had been struggling to keep in touch to our loved ones and we find ourselves hanging around in the corner of the common area facing the school to connect to the wifi.

     

   Wednesday that week, we attended our History Class of Ms.Yang laoshi and Introduction to Mechatronics with our department head, Dr. Tai laoshi. Dr. Tai taught us how to basically operate the Programmable Logic Control (PLC) and the Human Machine Interface (HMI). I had learned a lot from him that day and it is such a delight in me because I am so interested in mechatronics and I expect to learn more advance technologies here in MUST. 

   The Office of International Affairs prepared pizzas and mooncakes for our lunch in the orientation for international students. In the event, we tackled and elaborated issues about the ARC, NISMMI, work permit, and informed us about crossing along the streets and highways because of huge trucks and other vehicles passing by. After the orientation, some of us joined Engr. Doloriat, Engr. Baustista, and Engr. To to go to RT Mart, a mall-like store where you can buy almost everything you need. They taught us how to commute by train and by bus from Xinfeng Station to North Hsinchu. Thursday was the scheduled flight of Engr. Doloriat and Engr. Bautista back to the Philippines but 4 hours before they left, we strolled around the campus and took photos together with Engr. To since it is a long weekend because Thursday and Friday is a holiday here in Taiwan. The university is quite big. With the long weekend we got, we spent it by strolling around Xinfeng and Hsinchu to explore and look for Filipino stores and foods. Also, we found a Catholic Church near Xinfeng Station where plenty of Filipinos gather there to attend mass. In the following week, we had met our professors where some of them toured us in the laboratories of the university and this includes the workshop that is located in the old mechanical building and the new 5-Axis Machining Lab in the new mechanical building. What’s amazing in this university is that it has state-of-the-art facilities, and all laboratories had advance and complete equipment.