From Nervous Beginnings to Beautiful Memories: My Summer at NCU
Before coming to Taiwan, I had tried many times to imagine what my month at National Central University would be like. I thought about the research I would do, the people I would meet, whether I could communicate well in English, and how I would manage living far away from home. However, the experience I eventually had was something I could never have fully imagined in advance.
My first days at NCU were filled with new things: a new campus, a new laboratory, unfamiliar faces, different food, and a completely different daily routine. At the beginning, I was naturally nervous, especially when communicating in English or trying to understand research topics that were new to me. Fortunately, that feeling did not last long. Professor Shih-Jung Wang, the mentors, and the members of the GeoHydraulics Research Group welcomed us warmly and were always willing to answer questions. Little by little, the laboratory stopped feeling unfamiliar.
Research was an important part of my summer, but it was also one of the biggest challenges. Working with groundwater and environmental data showed me how different real research can be from classroom exercises. Real data are not always simple, results are not always obvious, and sometimes the same task needs to be revised many times before it makes sense. There were moments when I felt confused or frustrated, but those moments became some of my most valuable lessons. I learned to look at problems more carefully, ask for help when necessary, and not give up simply because the first attempt did not work.
The experience also changed my attitude toward English. Before the internship, I worried a lot about making mistakes when speaking. At NCU, I had no choice but to communicate, so I gradually became less afraid of being wrong. Conversations in the laboratory, discussions about research, and even simple daily interactions helped me understand that confidence grows through practice. By the end of the month, I could clearly feel that I was more comfortable expressing myself than when I first arrived.
Some of my favorite memories happened outside research hours. We played sports together, went on field trips, explored different places, ate together, and shared stories about our countries and university lives. I especially enjoyed discovering Taiwan through ordinary moments: walking around the NCU campus in the evening, visiting convenience stores late at night, trying foods whose names I could barely pronounce, taking trains to unfamiliar places, and laughing with friends when our plans did not go exactly as expected. These small moments may seem unimportant, but they are the memories that now make me smile the most.
Living abroad for a month also taught me things about myself. I became more independent in managing my time, solving unexpected problems, and adapting to situations outside my comfort zone. At the same time, being away from home made me appreciate familiar things in Vietnam more than before. It was interesting to discover a new country while also understanding my own home from a slightly different perspective.
The hardest part of the internship was probably realizing how quickly it ended. People who had been strangers at the beginning became friends, unfamiliar places became part of my daily routine, and NCU gradually felt like a small second home. Saying goodbye made me realize how meaningful the month had become.
I am deeply grateful to Professor Shih-Jung Wang for giving me the opportunity to join the laboratory and for always encouraging us throughout the program. I would also like to thank my mentors and every member of the GeoHydraulics Research Group who helped us with research, shared their time with us, and made us feel welcome in Taiwan.
I came to NCU expecting to gain research experience. I did gain that, but I also returned home with something much more personal: greater confidence, independence, friendships across cultures, and a new willingness to try things that once seemed intimidating. Taiwan is now connected in my memory not simply with a summer internship, but with a month of first experiences, unexpected challenges, laughter, friendship, and growth. I hope that someday I will have the chance to return to NCU—not as someone arriving nervously for the first time, but as someone returning to a place filled with good memories.
