运动训练 Athletic Training Study Abroad in Taiwan

Welcome to my blog! This is my first attempt at blogging, so bear with me. I'm going to try my best to keep everyone updated on my next 3 weeks in Taiwan. After spending approximately 24 hours traveling (5 hour flight to LA and FOURTEEN hour flight to Taipei), we arrived safely in Taiwan at about 6 am. Never mind the fact that we were all extremely exhausted and jet lagged, we had a full day of activities awaiting us. It was for the best though because with our busy schedules, it's crucial to get back on a normal sleep schedule. Those of you that know me well, know that I am a wreck when I have not had my sleep! I got my first real impression of Taiwan when our bus picked us up. It was brightly colored with all sorts of tacky decorations such as window curtains with fringe and black lights. It had microphones for karaoke and flat screen tv's showing a Madonna concert. Party much?! We were shuttled from the airport to our dorm at the National Taiwan Sport University and quickly showered and headed to our welcome reception. The welcome we received from our host students and professors was incredible! They prepared a big meal for us, gave us gifts, and cheered as we walked in the room. Each U.S. student has been paired with two NTSU athletic training students, who are our "buddies" during our time here. I must say, my two "buddies" are the bomb.com! (I attached a picture...hope it works!) We went over our itinerary for the trip and I am so thrilled about all of our activities, lectures, and especially the clinical rotations. We will be working with Tae-Kwan-Do, Judo, and Wu-Shu athletes... can't wait! After going through an orientation and touring the campus, we were treated to foot massages where they performed traditional accupressure. About all my masseuse could say in English was "don't worry" and "relax." I sure needed these reassuring words because the accupressure was pretty painful at times. But when it was all over, my feet felt amazing! We were then treated to dinner where we could get to know the other U.S. students. We have students with us from UGA, UNC in Wilmington, Univ. of Michigan, and Univ. of Toledo. It's funny to see how athletic training student nerds are the same from state to state. For dessert, we were served something that was very similar to flan (the mexican dessert), but the consistency was a little thicker. We began discussing how it would make a good shoe insert for shock absorption.... love it. I fell asleep last night at 8 pm, only to wake up this morning at 4 am. Helllooo jet lag! Today should be interesting.