Karen Blakely / Hsin-Chu Science Park Kindergarten Program Manager

It was hot, humid and entirely too early in the morning, when I arrived in Taiwan for the first time.  A friendly driver, who didn't speak much English, met me at the Taipei airport carrying a sign that said "American Eagle School."

Although I had traveled a great deal in the past, there is something quite different about packing your life into some boxes and moving to an entirely different country and culture.

The driver dropped me at the dormitory, where a helpful member of the 'Eagle' office staff met me and let me into my new home.  Even in my exhausted, 'jet-lagged' state, I realized that she must have risen at an awful hour to meet me so early in the day.  This would become a familiar pattern in weeks and months to follow.  Taiwanese co-workers continually put themselves out in every effort to be helpful and to make my transition easier.

That first day, I took a short nap and then decided to find the computer lab in the Language Center.  I stepped out of my dorm and looked around.  I could see the Kindergarten, but didn't know which way to turn in order to find the Language Center. 

As I stood in the street looking helpless, a kind, elderly Taiwanese lady approached me, smiled, nodded and took my arm.  She steered me gently toward the Kindergarten, obviously realizing that I must belong there.  I gestured toward the Kindergarten and then spread my hands far apart, saying (uselessly), “big” in English.  She nodded again, took my arm and steered me the 10 meters or so down the street until I could see the much larger 'Eagle' building.  Embarrassed, I smiled and tried out my first words in Chinese, "shie shie" (thank you).

This incident was another harbinger for my life in Taiwan.  Every time I felt a little lost, or overwhelmed, a friendly Taiwanese person approached to help.  It never failed to happen.  In fact, it happens to this day.

My first day in an American Eagle classroom was easier than those experienced by teachers arriving to start a new school year.  I was replacing a teacher who was forced to leave Taiwan due to a death in her family.  The classroom I entered, the Cardinals, had one teacher who had been with them since the beginning of the school year.  It fell to her to train me in American Eagle routines and academic programs.  

The children had already learned a great deal of English during their time with her, so we could communicate with only a minimum of difficulty or misunderstanding.  I took a deep breath and plunged into teaching with a mixture of exhilaration and terror.  Exhilaration won!  These were beautiful children — happy, energetic four and five-year-olds, who needed a firm hand and an open heart from their teacher.

My first successful lesson was music.  We made colorful 'drums' and proceeded to march around the classroom — the perfect 'marching band.'

It was a lesson I've repeated in many forms since.  Over the years, I've led students through the school with kazoos, with masks designed in arts and crafts, with elaborately decorated witches hats (Halloween) , and with anything else that the students were inordinately proud of.

I discovered early on that this school is like a large family.  We share experiences and celebrate one another.  Teachers care for all of the children, not just their own.  We teach the children about acceptable behavior and manners, and how to be good friends.  We have the indescribable joy of watching them proudly show us their latest picture, hear their latest story, and receive a hearty hug or high-five.

We make a difference in their lives, now and in the future, showing them how limitless their opportunities can be.  I may fade from their memories as they grow, but each face that I taught is indelibly printed in my mind, ready to be smiled at and remembered with love.

I wouldn't trade my time at American Eagle School in Taiwan for anything.  That's a cliché? that gets thrown around a lot, but I can say it honestly.  Wherever I go in the world, I'll carry the memory of everyone here with me.