Taiwan Touches My Heart

Taiwan Touches My Heart
Sonny Ding （981002902 丁潔瓊）
Having been in Taiwan for over two weeks, I begin to love this place as an old friend and to love these people here as a newcomer. As an exchange student from Nanjing University, I am overjoyed to know the fact that my university used to be named as the National Central University, where I’m now, with less than four mouths’ time left. Thus, I view the campus as an old and intimate friend; as for the people here, their overwhelming kindness and hospitality have enabled me, a newcomer, to better identify with this place.
I was mostly impressed by what happened this Saturday morning in front of the Office of the President, Taiwan. When we were about to leave the sightseeing place, it was noon. Hot and hungry, we wanted to arrive at any nearby restaurant as soon as possible. Just as we were wandering along the street, looking for an eating place, three mid-aged women sitting under a big tree saw us and one of them came towards us with a bag in her hand. Approaching us, she filled her hands with candies and Taiwan Jujube and then handed them to each of us. “You must be from the mainland for your accents are not local, so enjoy some of our sweet fruits in this hot weather.” Her words were simple, but her sincerity is profound. I felt an overwhelming stream of both coolness and warmth running over my body, the former for bringing a breeze in that burning weather, and the latter for bringing a comfort for my homesick heart.
This kind of stories never ceased to happen since the day I came to this beautiful island. The dogs running or lying on campus; the little squirrel enjoying eating under a little pine tree; the helpful and friendly teachers and students… all these images distract me from the thought that I’m so far away from home. All these stories actually tell me one point as the song goes that “Taiwan will touch your heart”. Yes, it touches my heart and I’m embracing it with my soul.