Cultural Immersion in Taiwan and India with the NCP Scholarship Program

Vanisha Singh, NCP Scholar 2022

Last year, I graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Software) and Diploma in Professional Engineering Practice, before beginning work as a graduate at my current workplace, Commonwealth Bank.

Despite completing my New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholarship program last year, I still firmly believe that embarking on the program was one of the key highlights of my entire university experience. It has shaped memories that I will remember and draw upon for a lifetime.

Beginning in June 2022, I embarked on a program that spanned over the course of 10 months.

My experience consisted of the following:

• 2 months of intensive Mandarin training at the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) Mandarin Training Center in Taipei, Taiwan.
• 1 exchange semester at NTNU in Taipei, Taiwan.
• 3 months completing the Infosys Instep Global internship program in Bangalore, India.
• 1 month of Nepali language training in the Darjeeling region of India.

Throughout my upbringing, my parents have raised me to believe that diversity can serve as a strength rather than a weakness, and have always encouraged me to be open to embracing other cultures. Naturally, as I grew up I developed a strong interest in learning about different cultures across the world and how they possessed similarities or differences to what I was familiar with after being brought up in Australia.

I have always wanted to immerse myself in another culture for an extended period of time, and I felt that the New Colombo Plan Scholarship was the best way to do this as it assisted me in overcoming the financial barrier that comes with living abroad, while simultaneously being accommodating of my studies at UTS. In addition to the study exchange component of the program, I also valued the inclusion of a language training and internship component as I felt this would greatly assist in helping me develop a well rounded understanding of my host countries.

My NCP Scholarship experience was commenced by undertaking two months of intensive Mandarin training at the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) Mandarin Training Center in Taipei, Taiwan. This was then followed by an exchange semester at the same university.

My time at NTNU introduced me to a range of new experiences. A highlight for me was taking part in the ‘International Companions for Learning’ program, where I completed inter-cultural community service with a Taiwanese primary school in Yilan County.

As part of this program I was partnered with a Taiwanese student at National Taiwan University (NTU) to conduct weekly cultural exchange sessions with a class of Taiwanese children online.

I loved learning about different aspects of Taiwanese culture from my partner, who was originally from Taichung, and the children, while simultaneously being able to introduce them to Australian culture. The best part of this experience was being able to meet them in person during a school visit with my partner from NTU!

Throughout my time in Taiwan, I encountered some of the friendliest people I have ever come across. Despite being a foreigner and sometimes not sharing a common language, the people always went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable in Taiwan. On more than one occasion I had friends offering to show me around their hometown, introduce me to their family, and feed me delicious food. I will forever be grateful for their patience with my broken Mandarin when trying to communicate!

Despite this, it is not to say that I did not encounter my fair share of difficulties while living in Taiwan. Naturally, living abroad alone for the first time can be challenging, and I definitely found that the study load at NTNU was more intensive than what I had experienced prior at UTS. In retrospect, I feel that it is important to go into the experience with an open mind. Be prepared to work hard, but make yourself open to taking on new opportunities and you will be rewarded with experiences that you will carry with you for a lifetime.

Subsequent to my time in Taiwan, I relocated to Bangalore in India for 3 months to undertake the Infosys Global internship program at the global information technology consulting company, Infosys. This was followed by 1 month of language training in the Darjeeling region of India.

During my internship, I conducted research into the relationship between Fintech startups, financial institutions, and Infosys. I was joined during the internship by four other interns from different parts of Australia, who were also working on their own separate projects.

In retrospect, I honestly feel that my time in India will be forever remembered as one of the best parts of my entire life.

Infosys went above and beyond to introduce myself and the other interns to various parts of Indian culture, whether this was through excursions, so so much AMAZING food, or workshops. They made the transition of relocating to India as comfortable as possible. Additionally, I felt that myself, the other interns and the staff managing the internship all became quite close after all the time we shared together.

A highlight from this internship was being able fly out and explore different parts of India with the other interns on the weekends and learning about how vastly Indian culture can differ simply depending on the state that you’re in. On one occasion, another intern and I were able to connect with a staff member located in Jaipur, who showed us around and introduced us to his family. It was amazing being able to experience the city through the eyes of a local, who was happy to share different aspects of his culture with us.

Overall, my NCP Scholarship program experience was not without challenges that pushed me out of my comfort zone, but at the end of the day, it has all contributed to helping me grow as a person. I will always remember my time in India and Taiwan as being special opportunities that allowed me to grow so much in both personal and professional aspects. Most of all, I will always remember the wonderful, inspiring people I met along the way!

Vanisha Singh
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Software) and Diploma in Professional Engineering Practice
National Taiwan Normal University
Taiwan

Find out more about the New Colombo Plan Scholarship Program!

For more information about the UTS Global Exchange program please visit: www.uts.edu.au/thinkglobal