Being a foreign student, again

This is my second time being an international student in Taiwan. The first was an MBA at Ming Chi University of Technology; the second is the PhD I started at National Cheng Kung University in 2024. In between, I went back to work in Vietnam. Coming back as a student after years in a job felt familiar and new at the same time.

Being a foreign student means being a newcomer on purpose. You give up some of the comfort of knowing how things work. Paperwork, small social rules, a language you only half speak. Even after living somewhere for a while, there are always moments that remind you that you are a guest.

I think that position has real value, and not only as a story about resilience.

You notice more. Things that locals no longer see, because they are normal, still stand out to a newcomer. That habit of noticing is useful in research too, where the obvious often hides the interesting question.

You learn to ask for help. At home you can manage alone. Abroad you cannot, and asking becomes a skill. It also teaches you how much help other people give quietly, every day.

You become a bridge, in small ways. Many international students carry their home context with them. In my case, thinking about Vietnamese firms while studying in a Taiwanese research environment gives me two reference points instead of one.

There are costs too, and it would be dishonest to skip them. Distance from family is real. Holidays at home happen without you. Some days the effort of being always slightly outside is tiring.

Still, if I am honest, I keep choosing it. Not because being a newcomer is easy, but because it keeps me curious. Each time you start again somewhere, you have to learn to look carefully. I would rather keep that habit than lose it to comfort.

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Photos: philippsaal, 4601460 on Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. These are not my photographs.