Sarah Chiu came to New Zealand as a 22 year old from the thriving city of Taoyuan, Taiwan. Taiwan has twenty-three million people, and is renowned for its scenery, entertainment, karaoke bars, shopping malls, and night markets that have delicious food.
Sarah graduated college in Taiwan with a degree in Human Resource Management. However, she really wanted to improve her English so she chose to study the New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Level 4) at Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin. She chose to study here because her cousin had just finished her science degree at the University of Otago and had married a kiwi.
Sarah spends her weekends hanging out with friends,
watching movies, having potluck dinners and shopping on George Street. Sarah describes New Zealand’s natural scenery as “stunning”. She loves the mountains in Queenstown, where she learnt to ski for the first time. She also loves the night sky. “Before coming to New Zealand I had never seen so many stars. There are thousands here. I feel like I’m looking at the whole galaxy.”
“I really enjoy studying at the English Language Centre at Otago Polytechnic. The most interesting part is all the different people from many countries – it really is an exchange of cultures. The way the lecturers teach is very different from Eastern countries. Here they care about how much you have learned rather than getting a mark for an exam; they really want you to learn critical thinking.”
She credits the English Language Centre with helping her in meeting many new friends and understanding other cultures: “We are like a big family here. One of the students made a birthday cake for me. Some of my classmates also gave me gifts. It was so nice of them!”