CHOI-UT, HO (何趣月)
Macau
Bachelor’s Degree of Earth Sciences
Growing up in Macau, leaving this small city in seek for a bigger world has always been a wish of mine, and by coincidence, NTNU just happened to offer a bachelor’s degree in Earth Sciences that I do have profound interest in. Not until I realized, I had already found myself in Taiwan.
Being my fourth and last year here in NTNU, I cannot tell how time flies. As you may already know, Taiwan is a place carved with majestic landscapes and sceneries. Having majored in Earth Sciences with a specialization in the geology field provides me with a lot of opportunities to conduct fieldwork in various geological sites around Taiwan.
Courses are interdisciplinary and professors are indeed experts in their associate fields. If you are in search of more practical experiences out of class, the faculty does offer a lot of research and internship opportunities among public institutions as well.
When it comes to social life, it is intriguing to take part in all kinds of activities hosted by various teams and clubs on and off-campus. I, personally, was once a member of the NTNU International Youth, which is a group of volunteers responsible for holding events especially for international students and to ensure that each of the newcomers can be able to integrate into the new community well. There, I met people that are full of passion, we worked 24/7 towards the same goal, and I got to create memories with all these besties that will last a lifetime long.
Yet, this is just a fraction of what I encountered during my college years. What I love most about Taiwan though, is its unique nature and the exceptional moments that you would always find out something unexplored around the city. During the long weekends, I’d love to spend my time traveling and wandering through the lanes and alleys in different counties, trying out traditional Taiwanese cuisines, and of course, to immense myself in the stunning suburban natures. As I travel, I got to meet people with diverse backgrounds who share stories and bring about inspirations. To me, such experiences can never be found in Macau, and I see all these as part of my fortunes that I will never be able to come across in schools.
Despite there might be cultural differences between Macau and Taiwan, I still managed to blend into the new environment pretty well. I laughed, I cried, I learned, I traveled, and at this very moment, it finally comes to an end with my four years in Taiwan. It is hard to say goodbye, but after all, I would say the decision of coming to Taiwan is the best one that I have ever made in my life. Anyway, cheers, NTNU. Cheers, Taiwan. Until we meet again someday, somewhere.