The 2nd Taiwan-Thailand Huayu Camp Made Learning Fun

In the past five years TECO in Thailand has partnered with the Ministry of Education in Taiwan and with schools in Samut Prakan and Phetchaburi to jointly appoint Huayu Mandarin teachers and Huayu Mandarin teaching assistants from Taiwan. Thai students are getting more and more interested in learning Huayu and are eager to acquire real experiences of Taiwanese culture.

TECO in Thailand worked with twelve Thai elementary schools, middle schools and vocational colleges where Huayu Mandarin teacher and teaching assistants from Taiwan teach Huayu to co-design the camp curriculum, games and cultural activities to give the participating students more understanding and appreciation of Taiwanese culture and increase their interest in continuing to learn Huayu.

After months of preparation, and huge efforts put into the organizing, everything went smoothly and 250 teachers and students took part in the camp. The students were divided into six groups to do the activities together, playing and learning. As well as practicing Huayu, the teachers and students toured the neighboring Taiwanese Center in Thailand and the traditional Taiwanese style temple in Samut Prakan, giving them opportunities to personally experience the deep-roots that Taiwanese people and Taiwan’s culture have in Samut Prakan.

At the closing ceremony, many students shared their feelings about what they had learned in this camp, saying that they had learned many new Huayu words and made many new friends in the past three days. The camp away from home was a once-in-a lifetime experience for most of the Thai students, and they expressed their strong interest in attending the camp again next year. We believe that Taiwan will generate a warm feeling in their hearts, and we hope that events like this for Thai students will plant seeds that grow and blossom into future friendships between the people of our two countries.

Photo: 250 teachers and students in Huayu Camp