Bringing the Upper Delaware to Taiwan

By DAVID and RACHEL HERSEY

HSINCHU, TAIWAN — Why were 18 kids in a town in Taiwan reading The River Reporter? We’re afraid that is our fault. This summer, we went to Hsinchu (pronounced shin zu), Taiwan to teach English at the Hsinchu American School. When we arrived, we discovered that of the class of 18 local Taiwanese students, some of the students could speak English well enough to have a conversation, while others couldn’t understand a single word we said.

We were surprised by the range of English ability and range of ages (from ages six to 16 all in one class). This was the first year that Hsinchu American School invited foreign students to help at their summer camp. We didn’t know what to expect when we arrived, so we stuck with our plan of teaching English through presentations about living in America. During our class, we showed photos and talked about the schools, the houses and general life in our hometowns. We have had a vacation home in Narrowsburg our whole lives, and wanted the students to see how beautiful and different the area is. After our talk and slide show, we handed out newspapers to try and spark discussions. We thought The River Reporter articles about life along the Delaware would create some interest. The kids enjoyed looking through the paper and talking about it with us. After class, they took them home to read with their families.

Hsinchu is known as the “Silicon Valley” of Taiwan. The companies in the city’s “Science Park” hold a more than 75% market share in the computer chip market worldwide. Major companies such as Realtek, Acer, Logitec and D-Link all have facilities there, in both research and manufacturing. While we were there we got a tour of Hsinchu’s NSRRC (National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center), one of 20 particle accelerators in the world. It is undergoing renovations that will make it the most powerful particle accelerator in the world. Life in Hsinchu is very different than in America. We know that the students got a better sense of life in America and learned a bit more English in the process.

Thanks for helping us with our teaching supplies.