On Jan. 19, the Bellevue College Taiwanese Student Association held a meet and greet for the new quarter in room C120 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sandwiches and hot cocoa were served as club members reconnected, shared advice for living in the U.S., and played games. Plans for events and fundraising for the following quarter were also discussed.
Renaise Kim / The Watchdog
“Our club is basically just gathering our Taiwanese homies and providing a safe environment and welcoming atmosphere to let people get rid of homesickness. We have lots of meetings and games and typical traditional Taiwanese activities, and set up a schedule based on everyone’s schedules. We have a meeting once a week,” said club officer Peng Lai.
Within the next two weeks, the association is planning on having a bake sale to raise funds.
“Taiwan culture and here is pretty different. When you live in Taiwan, you don’t need a car, you can just use public transportation to go anywhere. And food is a lot more expensive here. We talk about transportation, how to get an ORCA card to save money with the bus, and suggest that members learn to cook themselves to save money,” said club finance manager Wilson Yang.
“I really love the association because it brings together Taiwanese students together and introduces them to Bellevue College and to Seattle’s culture. As the photographer, my goal is to capture everyone’s activities, and how happy they are, their faces and their feelings. I learned that everybody has a different style. They’re not just from Taiwan, they’re from different states from Taiwan and have different styles and feelings. Every quarter, every year, there are so many new students that come to school here that are probably scared, it may be their first time in the U.S., and many are facing pressure to learn English. This club can help them feel safe, happy and peaceful,” said club photographer Kevin Shih.
To learn more about the Taiwanese Student Association, visit their Facebook page for photos and information about events.