As the ICLP summer program comes to a close, I’m certainly not ecstatic to be leaving Taiwan soon. Although I feel a little exhausted from the academic grind of the past eight weeks, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Taiwan. The food, landmarks, and people have all made my trip very rewarding. I’m happy to be leaving Taiwan knowing I have seriously improved my Chinese this summer and have made new friendships, and I hope to return soon to Taiwan at some point in the future. A few days before the end of the program, we hiked up Xiang Shan, a brutal hike which provides beautiful views of the Taipei city scape and its most notable building-Taipei 101. Ironically , I seem to be just now getting used to the heat in Taiwan, a condition I’ll quickly lose after returning to the U.S. This has been a great summer in so many ways, and I’m excited to continue my Chinese journey in the future.