Najar Ramal Francisco Javier, a gentle and courteous young man, comes from Peru. In 2015, with the chance to study Mandarin, he enrolled in National Taiwan Normal University’s Department of East Asian Studies. After graduating from the department, he applied and was accepted to the Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation at NTNU, graduating from the program in 2023. Following, he put his language skills and cultural acumen to use at Radio Taiwan International, where he uses Spanish to introduce the beauty of Taiwan to the world.

Najar recalls that it was hard in the beginning. He was alone in Taiwan and struggling to learn Mandarin while handling the pressures of his department’s curriculum. His classmates, most of whom were Taiwanese, could often breeze through the material being taught. Najar, however, would take twice as long to understand his lessons. Even oral reports were a problem as he was required to present them in Mandarin in front of the whole class. However, Najar remained positive and refused to let himself get discouraged. Instead, he set a goal for himself to use Mandarin every day in his interactions with classmates to improve his familiarity with the language. His practice and effort paid off, as his Mandarin slowly but surely improved which led to greater confidence when it came time to express himself. By chance, Najar learned about part-time internship opportunities being offered to international students at Radio Taiwan International. After joining the radio station, he continued to refine his foreign language skills through translating and hosting radio programs. After reaching a point in which he could speak Mandarin fluently and with confidence, coupled with a growing sense of accomplishment from his work and the recognition of his supervisors, Najar decided to remain in Taiwan to develop himself further professionally.

Now having lived in Taiwan for eight years, Najar believes that the key to his success is his refusal to give up. Whenever he encounters setbacks, he will just grit his teeth and persevere, and he never passes up the chance to meet a new opportunity head on. For example, one of his teachers recommend that Najar sign-up for a Mandarin speech contest. Even though he felt nervous in his preparation up to the day of the contest, he courageously faced moment and would later go on to participate in the contest on several other occasions with excellent results. He was also selected to be a representative for a promotional campaign to increase tourism in Kinmen and Matsu. In the process, he filmed several promotional videos, while experiencing a host of different Taiwanese customs. As he saw the videos continue to accumulate views, this motivated him to work even harder in the future. This sort of growth process echoes what Najar loves about marathons, namely the struggle to overcomes barriers and the need for perseverance. Najar mentioned that when he had time, he would run a marathon almost monthly. Recounting his races with a happy smile, he said that the marathon that left the deepest impression was the Taipei 100 vertical marathon. This experience would later form the backbone of his speech for which he won first prize at a Mandarin speech contest.

Najar says that he was very lucky to have picked NTNU as his place of study. The university boasts excellent teachers and rich learning resources. The personal connections that he developed and the knowledge that he learned have become an important foundation of his life in Taiwan. Studying abroad will always have its share of hardships, and the loneliness of being away from home is also inevitable, but if one doesn’t give up on his or her studies, daily improvement is assured. Plan your time well and live life to its fullest. Whether it’s hanging out with friends and cultivating interpersonal relationships or engaging in exercise to relieve stress and lift one’s spirits, it is essential to not get chronically trapped in negative thinking or emotions. By avoiding this pitfall, one can seize the moment and become a better version of oneself each and every day. Over time one’s growth will be obvious to see. Make good friends, do good deeds, and be responsible for oneself. The accumulation of positivity in one’s life will in turn allow even more positive things to find you. In Najar, we can see this process being played out clearly. In truth, he serves as an excellent example of how to study and live in Taiwan.