Feedback and reflection from 2024 UCTS students:
Ingrid Shih Appen, who worked in Dr. Tung's group: Taiwan Diary Entry
Duc Manh Nguyen, who worked in Dr. Chiang's group:
This summer has been super eye-opening and enjoyable. My friends, the professors, and everyone in Taiwan have been super helpful. I think Taiwanese people are really friendly and polite: I couldn't recall how many times people tried to accommodate my poor Chinese. Transportation system in Taiwan is something I wish the US and Vietnam would have: convenient, buses go literally everywhere, super on time and organized. One less talked about aspect of the transportation system is the TRA, but I think they are efficient and well-kept as a train system (which is reflected by the number of scheduled runs per day). The food is awesome, especially the Taiwanese sausage and the vast array of shaved ice desserts.
However, I think this paragraph alone should be dedicated to Taiwan nature. I think Taiwan has the best combination of mountains and the sea. I have had so much joy hiking up Datunshan, Xiangshan, seeing the vast grasslands with wild buffaloes at Qingtiangang, walking in Gaomei wetlands, and swimming in the blue sea at Longdong. Don't make me talk about Xiaoliuqiu - that island has the best beaches, hills, and caves! I have had so much fun there going around the island, seeing one of the best night skies I've ever seen, and swimming in clear blue water. And hats off to everyone for keeping most natural scenes untouched - Taiwan has done phenomenal preservation work.
A small thing I dislike, thou: I think buildings are really old, which makes Taipei seem a little bit dull. But overall, my experience was awesome.