Marietta Adams – 2007 – An American in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

At age 25, and after 3 years of teaching elementary school in an inner city school, I was ready for a change. I had nothing holding me back and as it felt a little crazy, I made the decision to teach in Taiwan. It was an easy decision though, especially with the magnitude of professionalism, reassurance, and helpfulness that Reach to Teach provided from the onset. I was highly impressed with RTT’s recruiting and matching system, the communication I had with Mitch and his team, and the teacher testimonials I read online. Two months after interviewing, I was on my way to amazing Taiwan.

As I arrived in Taiwan, the sun was just rising, and the beauty was a metaphor for what my year was going to be like in Taiwan. My job was in Kaohsiung, which is in the south of Taiwan. My school manager and the school employees immediately took me under their wing and helped me find living arrangements. I went through training back in Taipei and met friends as well as got prepared for what my job would be like. The Reach to Teach team did a great job letting me know what I could expect, and I felt very safe, supported, and cared for.

Some of my top highlights of teaching in Taiwan were learning (survival) Chinese, going to Reach to Teach events like hiking and tubing, vacationing in the most beautiful places of Taiwan has to offer, making friends through church and through the RTT network, joining the gym and getting a personal trainer, meeting foreigners out for fun times on the town, riding my scooter, singing karaoke, and getting cheap massages!

Reach to Teach truly set me up for a wonderful year that enhanced my life and I am thankful to them.

– Marietta Adams