Hello! My name is Alice. I grew up in Iowa and I went to college at the University of Iowa, where I studied journalism and mass communication, and graduated in May.
I came to Taiwan on a Fulbright Scholarship to be an English Teaching Assistant (ETA). That means I am working alongside local teachers to teach English to Taiwanese students. I have been assigned to Pingtung County, which is in the very south of Taiwan, and I already love it here! I live in a small town called Chaozhou, and I teach in two elementary schools in another small town called Fangliao. All of my students are between 1st and 6th grade.
I love designing lessons for my students and teaching them about American culture, but I also love learning from them and from the country they call home. Even though Taiwan is small, it has more beauty and diversity than I could've imagined. Taiwan has beaches and mountains, cities and countryside, and all sorts of delicious food! There is also so much diversity among Taiwan's people. The most common language here is Mandarin Chinese (which I am trying to learn!), but many people here are from indigenous communities that have their own unique languages.
I am so excited to share my journey with you, and hopefully inspire many of you to keep learning about the world around you— even in the smallest places, there's so much to discover!
Want to learn how you could be a Fulbright Scholar like me? The Fulbright Program is the United States government's flagship international exchange program. Fulbrighters foster mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, share knowledge across communities, and improve lives around the world. Learn more by clicking here!
