Decision

Ever since I heard about the close partnership between the FHP and the National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT) in my first semester, I wanted to spend a semester abroad in Taiwan. Firstly, because I hoped that living and studying in a major Southeast Asian city would give me interesting experiences and practical experience in interface design. Secondly, because friends who had been to Taiwan always raved about the culture and the hospitality of the locals.

Preparation

As with every semester abroad, I had to submit my portfolio and my letter of motivation very early (as early as mid-January) as part of the FHP's internal application process. I was accepted as early as February. However, the second application phase, namely the explicit application to the NTUT, did not take place until the end of October/beginning of November, as I decided to spend a semester abroad in the summer. I was accepted in December, so I still had enough time to apply for a visa in Berlin before I left in mid-February. I ended up spending almost six months in Taiwan until August.

Before leaving, we received cultural training on the FHP campus. A little tip from me for mental preparation: Taiwan is a country that regularly experiences natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons. With the right preparation and the right prior knowledge, you can feel much safer.

Accommodation

I lived in the NTUT's female dormitory. This is located on the 5th floor of a dormitory near Nangang station. It takes about 25 minutes to get to the lectures from there, so it's not too far if you're used to Berlin-Potsdam conditions. I shared the room with three other international students and together we shared a bathroom with the four-person room opposite. Living together went very smoothly, we immediately drew up a cleaning plan and started a splitwise group. Over time, we grew into a small dorm family, went on weekend trips and looked after each other a lot. Fortunately, I was able to extend my dormitory stay after the end of the semester, so I always had a fixed place where my things were in good hands and where I could return to while I was travelling.

Studying at the NTUT

At NTUT, I mainly took courses from the final Bachelor's semesters and Master's courses. In my experience, the Master's courses are more in line with the teaching concept at the FHP, as the Bachelor's courses are much more academic. Looking back, I would consider around 50% of my courses at NTUT to be valuable for my professional career, but I was able to learn something on a cultural and interpersonal level in every course, made friends and had exciting discussions. As at the FHP, there is an interim presentation phase and a final submission phase in Taipei. I used the courses to think outside the box, had a lot of fun doing analytical sketching with Professor Tai and visiting various design-related fairs and exhibitions.

The biggest intercultural exchange and the course I enjoyed the most was the Chinese course I took at NTUT's CLTC. I quickly noticed progress and by the end of my semester abroad I was able to place my order in Chinese, at least at Nighmarkets.

Everyday life and free time

In addition to university, I also continued to work remotely as a student trainee for two days. Nevertheless, I had a lot of free time, went hiking once a week on one of the beautiful trails in Taiwan and used every free minute to explore Taipei with friends. There are so many little day trips around Taipei that I can only recommend to everyone. My personal favourite: the Bitoujiao Trial in the north-east. Tuesday nights were usually spent at Taco Tuesday at Barcade, where a fellow student mixes the best Dragon Fruit Margaritas, and Thursdays were reserved for dancing at one of the many clubs in Taipei.

At the weekend, I often went on trips in Taiwan, for example to the south of the island or to the national park in Hualien. As my courses for the week were already over on Wednesday, I took three weeks off to fly to Seoul, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Conclusion and tips

I would always return to Taiwan and plan to do so after my bachelor's degree. I had an incredible amount of fun, gained many valuable experiences and got to know very special people who have grown very close to my heart.

My most important tip: Taiwan is full of second-hand shops and you can find a thousand little things that you would like to take with you. So go there with much less than you think you need.