Speaking of an exchange student, the personalities come to people’s mind are being outgoing, independence, curiosity etc. Indeed, these are all the requiring qualities for an exchange student. But to be more specific, I do believe there are several practical abilities that help you become a more popular person among the exchange students.
№1 Cooking
In Taiwan, we can easily purchase food with multiple options at an affordable price. Since the meal price is usually higher than the one in our domestic country, it becomes necessary for international students to learn how to serve yourself own cuisine. After three months in the U.S., I strongly feel that being able to cook truly makes you a more popular person. As everyone knows, people always miss hometown dishes. Therefore, people always want to be with you if you can cure the homesick issue, and my roommate is exactly the one. Whenever he brings out the traditional Taiwanese cuisine, our reaction is nothing but awes and wows. It’s interesting to observe how much people admire the chef since everyone wants to taste the hometown cuisine. I didn’t really feel that cooking is a required skill in the past not only because we can buy food to feed ourselves, but also, we are still in Taiwan where all restaurants serve iconic Taiwanese food. I’m now finally understand the importance of cooking.
№2 Driving
The U.S. is a country with vast territory. Frankly speaking, it’s not convenient to travel to somewhere far from the downtown area without a car. In that case, people who own a car here suddenly become superstars since you always need a driver to carry you to the destination. We can always find a bus or MRT to solve the problem back in Taipei. You can still travel to a lot of tourist spots with public transportation. But it’s different now. People prefer to go traveling with those who can drive. Also, driving is the simplest but the best way to contribute to a group journey. In short, for exchange students, we always want to seize every opportunity to explore this country, and that’s why driving is always the skill helping you make more friends.
№3 Sociability
During the time as an exchange student, there are numerous opportunities to attend social occasions and make new friends. We are here to explore the varsity of the world and broaden our verizon. Creating a conversation is always the best way to make new friends. It requires the not only experience and knowledge, but also curiosity and comprehension to appreciate the culture difference and find the similarity. I found that sport is truly a universal language. When chatting with Americans, football and basketball are our main topic. You can tell that your relationship is closer when you appreciate the sport they love. Therefore, my suggestion is that to find the similarity of what you love with other culture, then do some research on it. In that way, you won’t worry about what to say in a conversation anymore.
When the school life in Taiwan, the shining stars are usually who can sing or who play sports. However, they are not the idols anymore here, which is quite interesting. It all comes down to the basic living skills when people move into a new environment. We look back and put emphasis on the fundamentals again. Studying abroad is truly a precious experience for me to be more independent and it’s always a pleasure when you are able to give others a hand.
