Introduction: Ting-Chun Liu

Me and my host mother while in Japan.

Hello, I'm Ting-Chun Liu. The "Chun" is actually pronounce more like "Jun," but I am fine being called either way! I'm a senior double majoring in International Studies and Japanese, and trying to get a certificate in East Asian Studies. I come from a city called Taichung in Taiwan. I have been studying abroad in the states since high school sophomore year. I went to a boarding school in Weston, MA. I was in Japan last year as an exchange student. It was really a wonderful experience! I improved my Japanese a lot, and even passed the highest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test this summer. I also traveled around Japan and Korea for a little bit during breaks. If you are thinking of studying abroad, you should definitely do it!

I like to spend my free time watching Japanese dramas and hanging out with friends. I also enjoy eating, so I want to explore more nice restaurants for my last year here in Madison. Please tell me if you have any recommendations :)

Sometimes people make this mistake, so don't get confused :) 

I know it sounds cheesy, but what matters to me a lot is my home country, Taiwan. I'm very sensitive with people mistaking Taiwan as part of China. The conflict between Taiwan and China has lasted very long and it is not very easy to put an end to it. The "One China Policy" puts Taiwan in a very difficult situation in the global community. Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) is not a member of the UN, nor any of other UN related organizations. Although we have joined other international organizations,  we have to use designated names such as “Chinese Taipei,” “Taiwan, China” or “Taiwan, Province of China” because of pressure from China. That is why you will never see "Taiwan" or our national flag in Olympics or other international sports events. I can keep going on forever so I will stop here, if you are interested in what Taiwan is facing and why is it so difficult to solve this problem, I would be very happy to talk to you :) 

I have always struggle with writing, probably because English is not my native language. Most of the classes I took/am taking require writing essays, but I am still not very comfortable with it. So I hope I can improve my writing skills in this class!

Looking forward to a fruitful semester!