Two HES recipients from 2013 were invited to come along and share details of their experiences in Taiwan with this year’s recipients, for example, finding accommodation, cultural differences, and some of the challenges that they encountered. Last but not least, some presidents and executives of Taiwanese student clubs in Vancouver were also invited, to talk about Taiwan’s lifestyle, and culture, and answer any questions the scholarship recipients might raise.

The evening began with an icebreaker bingo game in which all the questions were about Taiwan. Participants were asked to go around and talk to different people to find the answers they needed to fill in the blanks. The two 2013 scholarship recipients then spoke, followed by a Q&A session, and then everyone enjoyed a Taiwanese meal.

The Huayu Enrichment Scholarship recipients found the information session and chance to ask questions very helpful, and the opportunity to meet with previous recipients and learn some tips about learning Mandarin in Taiwan was reassuring and encouraging.

In 2014, 43 applicants competed for scholarships to study in Taiwan and with great difficulty 23 were selected. Among them were 10 students from the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary that weren’t able to attend the information session. Their professors there hold similar information sessions annually on each campus to assist the scholarship recipients prepare as fully as possible before setting off to study in Taiwan.