My name is Choo Yuen Leing, I’m from the multicultural country of Malaysia. Since I was a child, I always wanted to study abroad, so I kept exploring my possibilities and planning my future career during my secondary school. At that time, I learned about the beauties of Taiwan as well as the openness to artistic and literary creation from my senior and Taiwan film and television, which made me yearn for it.

Wenzao Ursuline University of Foreign Languages is my home in Taiwan, my guide to the changes of the world, and my mentor for improvement. When I first arrived, the university arranged for a “buddy” to take me on a tour around Kaohsiung and to learn about the daily lifestyle of Kaohsiung people, so I quickly settled into life here. I studied translation in Wenzao because I love studying language translation. I came to here to explore and learn about languages and culture, to enrich myself and to broaden my horizons. Wenzao has always been a great platform to connect with the world. During my college years, there have been many opportunities for students to be exposed to the translation industry. I am grateful to my teachers for giving me opportunities to take advantage of my multicultural background and work as translators at different exhibitions during these four years. By chance, I was asked by a school teacher to assist in the dubbing of a Malay video. It was the first time I had ever experienced recording and dubbing in a studio, and it was a very new experience for me.

Since freshman year, I have studied several languages such as Korean, Russian, German, Thai and Spanish, in addition to my undergraduate course. For me, learning different languages and understanding another culture leads to a different way of thinking. The learning outcomes are important, but the most enthralling part for me is the journey of learning new things. And also, the professors in Wenzao are very instructive, not only explaining boring textbook, but also adding related news and drama into our study materials, which is perfect for a "visual learner" like me!

Thanks to my Cantonese origins, and the large number of Cantonese-speaking people in Malaysia, I have also made friends from Hong Kong and Macau in Wenzao. During my junior year, I was invited to join the Hong Kong and Macau Society of Wenzao Ursuline University of Foreign Languages. I also tried to teach my Taiwanese friends some daily-used Cantonese. This experience was very special to me and gave me a deeper understanding of the cultural background of the Cantonese language.
Being of Chinese origin in Malaysia, Chinese traditional culture and Chinese language education are part of my identity and cultural background. After gaining an understanding about Taiwan, I decided to exchange to Shanghai International Studies University during my junior year, looking forward to getting out of my comfort zone and experiencing the distinct impacts of a culture of the same origin developed in different historical contexts. The exchange experience was undoubtedly a rewarding one, as the experience of studying in Wenzao for a long time and coming into contact with people from different cultural backgrounds helped me to have a different experience on the exchange in Mainland China , and allowed me to look at foreign affairs from a Taiwanese perspective.

After returning from Mainland China, and in view of the growing number of Malaysian students in Wenzao, we started to form the Wenzao Malaysian Society to strengthen the cohesion of Malaysian students in Wenzao, as well as to promote the traditional and diverse culture of Malaysia within the campus. Being the founding president of the Wenzao Malaysian Society, my juniors and I set up a booth at carnivals both inside and outside the school, selling authentic Malaysian food and interacting with the students through Malay language learning games. As the number of Malaysian students in Wenzao grew, we also helped the new arrivals adapt to life in Taiwan through the efforts of our society.

In the fall after four years, I left Taiwan and returned to my hometown, making the best use of what I had learned and seen to help students who were struggling to make the best choice for their further studies. I will never forget the years I spent with my classmates in Taiwan, and I am grateful to everyone I met there for making the most beautiful and important part of my life's journey.