Year in Taiwan FAQ
Why are you in Taiwan?
In August we received exciting news. Newell Ann was awarded a Fulbright-Hays
Fellowship to do a year of dissertation research in Taiwan. On January
17, 2003, our entire family boarded an airplane and moved to Taiwan!
We packed 4 carry-ons and 8 checked bags.
Taiwan! What exactly are you doing over there?
Newell Ann is doing dissertation research at the Institute of History
and Philology, Academia Sinica, a post-graduate research institute in Taipei.�
She is working on some discovered manuscripts and comparing them with a traditional
text that is very similar (a little like comparing the Bible and the Dead
Sea Scrolls).�
Where do you live?
We spent the first month in a room at the Academia Sinica Student Activity Center.
Then, with help from a local friend, we found an apartment overlooking a park
that is only a ten-minute walk from Academia Sinica and an even shorter walk from our
children's schools.
What about Van's job?� What will he do in Taiwan?
Van had been working for Verizon since April 1999, first as a data technician
and then as a sales engineer. He really enjoyed it and will miss his friends
and co-workers at Verizon. As he told his boss, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity for our entire family. In Taiwan, Van will spend a lot of time with Clara
and Oliver helping them make the transition. He is also learning Mandarin Chinese with
twice-weekly one-on-one tutoring at the Taipei Language Institute. Van is also working
part-time (M-W-F) at the Institute of Information Science at Academia Sinica.
In addition to this, he is slowly teaching himself three new programming
languages on his trusty Linux box: PHP, C, and Perl.
What about the house? The dogs and cat?
We have a housesitter - a trusted friend - who will take care of our house
and dogs and cat while we are gone.
Where will the kids go to school?
Clara is attending the Academia Sinica Kindergarten. Oliver is going to a private pre-school/nursery
school. Its translated name is "Happy Sprouts". Both schools are regular Taiwanese schools
and classes are taught in Mandarin Chinese. Clara and Oliver are the only Americans in their respective
classes. And yes, they are learning Chinese by osmosis, in addition to reinforcement at home.
When are you coming back?
Right now we are planning to return on January 16, 2004.
Newell Ann, are you ever going to actually finish your PhD? Then what?
Yes, I will finish my PhD - but only because I get next year 'off' to work
on my dissertation! The past few years I have held a position as a predoctoral
lecturer teaching Classical Chinese and another course at the University
of Washington and I have also written two papers for publication� and
presented conference papers unrelated to my dissertation research.�
It has been difficult to make any progress in my dissertation because of
other obligations. This coming year, I plan to do nothing but dissertation
research: no teaching, no conferences, and no other papers.� When I
finish I hope to find a faculty position teaching Chinese language and literature.
Are the kids able to eat with chopsticks?��
Yes. Clara has mastered eating with chopsticks and Oliver does
as well as any Chinese 2� year-old.
What's your address? Other
contact information?
You can use the following
address to send mail or packages to us in Taiwan:
[c/o] Ms. Newell Ann Van Auken, Junior Visiting Scholar
Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica
Nankang, Taipei 11529
Taiwan, ROC
�
Since this is Newell Ann's school/work
address and people may not know Van's last name, you must use Newell Ann's
last name ('Van Auken', not 'Emery'); otherwise we will not get your mail.�
Our e-mail addresses should remain unchanged:
Van:
[email protected]
Newell Ann: [email protected]