MY STUDIES AT NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY (NCKU)
THE ORIENTATION IN TAIPEI
Upon arrival in Taiwan in August, after a tiring three day's journey, I was lodged at the NTNU Learning center together with other Gambians and International students from various countries for two weeks orientation programme. Let me first introduce myself. I'm Edward Ceasar Mansal from the Gambia, a graduate student in Civil Engineering and Construction management at NCKU. Pursuing academic goal can be a very challenging thing, especially when you have to do it away from home- the stress, anxiety, coupled with assignments, along with coping with relationships back home, roomates, and culture differences. The orientation exercise really help me to adjust and adapt to the environment.

LIFE AT NCKU

NCKU is a very nice and conducive environment to study at. The university had a well-equipped library where one can really learn a lot. During the orientation at NCKU, I made a lot of friends both natives and other International students. I have joined two clubs in the school namely the Toast Master club and the International Exchange Association for students (IEAS). The aim of these two clubs is to try and bridge the gap between the International students and the natives so that we will appreciate each others culture and values. I was invited two weeks back to make a presentation about the Gambia by the IEAS group and surprisingly enough, I was awarded a certificate in recognition of my efforts. The interactions with these clubs had helped me overcome some of the problems highlighted above and help me settled down for my studies.

THE FOOD

In Taipei, I really enjoyed the delicious sea food, and was looking forward to having the same in Tainan. Since arrival in Tainan, I've almost check in all the restaurants near the campus for this particular menu but to no avail. I must count myself lucky for I'm leaving very close to one of the university restaurant in the Kuang-fu dorms. This restaurant serves quite a variety of foods such as rice dumplings, spicy chicken with rice and other dishes. Sometimes I take a stroll across the street to Yu-le street in front of the Kuang-fu Campus to really enjoy a boul full of Gambian rice with either spicy chicken or pork. As far as food is concern, anything which is edible, is OK. There are also a lot of readily available fresh fruits sold across the street at reasonable prices. In a nutshell, Bravo to ICDF for the award.