Sarah Bingham
Recruiting Coordinator
Sarah with some of her bright English students
I had never wanted to come to Asia. But apparently Asia wanted me to come. If someone had told me just a few months before I packed up my life and moved to Taiwan that I would be going to Asia, I’d have laughed and told them, “No way”. In the end, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Taiwan has shown me so many new and different sides of life. I finished school at James Madison University with a degree in Digital Video. As much as I love this work, my passions for traveling and working with kids won out, and I became TEFL certified to teach English immediately after graduating. For 3 long months I researched and debated about where in the world (literally) to go, and finally chose Taiwan. Most of what I knew about Taiwan before I came consisted of tropical weather, lots of people, small spaces, pollution, and the tallest building in the world (Taipei 101- which has since been overtaken). Now I have gained a new perspective on the importance of culture, family, food, kindness, generosity, and umbrellas (I never leave home without one). I came to Taiwan not only to teach, but also to be taught, and I think I will return home having learned more from this experience than my students learned from me.
Sarah gets to and from work using her scooter
I have had some of the most frustrating, and some of the most fulfilling times in front of a classroom of students here in Taiwan. There is never a dull moment in the classroom, and always a story to take away from the day. From students losing teeth in class and throwing them out the window (a cultural tradition, apparently), to the constant hugs at all the most inconvenient but precious times, to helping students write, film, and act in their own short stories, I find my happiest moments to be in front of groups of kids, constantly trying out new ways to help them enjoy learning.
I have gained many new perspectives on culture and people in my travels up to this point in my life, having spent significant time in Europe, the Middle East, and Central America. I think these experiences have been used as steps to the place I am now, residing just outside of Taipei in Taiwan. It is not always easy, when you can’t read signs, menus, or maps, and can’t understand what someone is trying to tell you. However, I think this provides just the right amount of excitement to everyday living.
Sarah with her students flashing some beautiful smiles
All in all, the combination of teaching for the first time, and experiencing the cities, mountains, beaches, crowds, humidity, tea, and crazy weather of Taiwan, has been one of the best decisions of my life. I feel strongly that it is an experience like no other, and one I will look back on with joy.
Sarah Bingham
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