Enews130 A Little about Me

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高雄醫學大學e快報 第130期　 分享園地

本校97學年度以醫研所開設的臨床醫學碩士學程加入國合會國際高等人力培訓外籍生獎學金計畫，本年度共招收4位外籍學生，3位來自西非的甘比亞，1位來自中南美洲的聖露西亞。4位學生將陸續在e快報發表文章，自我介紹或是抒發生活上的感想，也邀請他們的好朋友或學伴寫下與他們的相處之道，期待本校師生能更了解這些遠道而來外國朋友。128期已由來自甘比亞的Kebba(葛安)分享他回顧2008年的感觸，本期由來自中南美洲的聖露西亞Alisha D. Eugene分享她自己的心情故事。

A Little about Me

Alisha D. Eugene

My name is Alisha D. Eugene and I am from the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia. With an area of 238 square miles, and a tropical climate, this Caribbean Island is a frequent tourist destination. The Caribbean region lies between North and South America with the shores of all the islands being washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

My mother tongue is English, however, since St. Lucia has a rich English and French history stemming from the fourteen wars between England and France for the ownership of the Island many years ago, the languages spoken are both English and French Creole. The currency used by most Caribbean Islands including St. Lucia is the Eastern Caribbean (EC) dollar, with an exchange rate of $1.00 US to $2.50 EC.

I am a doctor, presently studying for a Master’s degree in Clinical Medicine. I studied medicine for a period of seven years about three to four years ago, in the Spanish speaking Island of Cuba. This was a very important and relevant period of my life, since not only did I learn to speak Spanish fluently, but got to know more about the customs and traditions of an Hispanic island as well.

I have had the opportunity to travel a lot in the West, but this is my first time to travel to the Far East. I would have to be very candid and say that it is certainly a new experience! The people of Taiwan are very reserved and pensive; qualities that are to be respected. They also tend to be “shy,” which caused me to have an initial mindset of one who obviously seemed not to be liked at first. Nevertheless, with time, I realized that this was mostly due to the language barrier. This is understandable, if one finds difficulty in approaching a foreigner who speaks a totally different language than what one is accustomed to.

Thankfully, over time, I have met a few Taiwanese people who speak English fluently, or almost fluently, and find myself at ease with them. I think these relationships will not only be worth time well spent on my part, but also a valuable opportunity to meet and get to know the culture and traditions of Taiwan, if I learn Mandarin.

The food (fruits and vegetables) found in Taiwan are quite common in the Caribbean. This of course is expected, since the climates of Taiwan and St. Lucia are both tropical. Rice and pasta form a greater part of Taiwan’s staple diet. In St. Lucia, ground root crops such as dasheen, okra, sweet potatoes, and yams along with breadfruit and okra are consumed frequently. The preparations of these foods are different, with Taiwan’s foods having an oriental flavor and savor associated.

Despite the fact that I was very homesick during two-thirds of my stay here in Taiwan (a situation that was not easy to deal with), I have visited a lot of scenic regions such as Taipei 101, the National Center for Traditional Arts, Yilan’s Distillery and Orange County, the National Palace Museum, Taipei Confucius Temple, Jiofen and Jinguashih, Dream Mall, Love River, Night Markets, and much, much more.

I would consider myself to be ungrateful and churlish if I do not mention the many friends that I have made here, and it is mostly through their efforts and endeavors that I am learning to adapt slowly.

I will be here for a sum total of two years, and despite all the differences that exist between Oriental and Occidental cultures, I can say way beforehand that I would have had an unforgettable and worthy experience!

Now that it has been almost eight months here in Taiwan, with the help of friends and Mandarin Chinese class, I do not feel as homesick anymore. I have been adjusting slowly to Taiwan - without even realizing it.

後醫系二年級 張凱婷

第一次與Alisha見面是在一場學生大使的活動中，那時因為自己也有點害羞，所以與Alisha的談話內容大概就諸如對台灣的印象、在台灣習慣與否等等比較客套的話題，那時候對Alisha的第一印象就是一位講話速度很快的女生。後來藉著國慶日的假期約了Alisha吃晚餐，話匣子一開，才慢慢比較認識彼此。那天晚上我們天南地北的聊，聊打扮造型的事、聊男女朋友的事、聊女醫師在未來生活會碰到的困難等等，在聊天的過程中我真的覺得Alisha是一個心態寬廣開放的人，也許是因為Alisha稍長我幾歲，與她交談總是令人非常安心自在。我想Alisha就是有種魅力讓人容易親近，這一點從某一次學校所舉辦的活動就可以證明。那一次的活動是很多位外籍學生介紹自己的國家給台灣學生，在活動即將結束之際，主持人為了增加互動玩了一些小小的遊戲。其中一個遊戲就是外籍學生必須指出在場所認識的台灣學生的名字，輪到Alisha的時候他接二連三地喊出了一個又一個的人名，原來在場的人有半數是他的朋友。我覺得這對一個外籍學生而言相當不容易，大概也就只有活潑外向、又有魅力的Alisha才能辦到吧!

後醫系二年級 余采珮

對於Alisha的第一印象是覺得她有點高傲，而且講話很快，當時很擔心她會不會很難以親近? 但是在慢慢和Alisha相處後才發現，原來她是很喜歡交朋友、很隨和而且有趣的人。記得我們學生大使一夥人邀國際學生去旗津騎腳踏車時，她也是其中的一員，有趣的是我們幾個年輕人騎得氣喘吁吁，對於曾經常常騎腳踏車通勤的Alisha來說，則是易如反掌。當晚我們一邊唱著各自國家的歌謠，一邊悠閒的沿著海邊，吹著海風，我第一次感覺我可以放下所謂「學生大使」的身份，輕鬆地和自己的外國友人談心。 Alisha最令我佩服的是，身處異地，卻很能知道如何適應環境，高醫的周邊和高雄捷運的路線，她比我還要清楚，甚至她還有一卡通! 我對高雄可能都沒有比她熟悉，真是汗顏。從她的身上我學習到樂觀、樂群與獨立，我想除了可能是因為她比我多了很多年的人生閱歷，還有她擁有一顆勇於嘗試與擁抱不同文化的心吧。

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