202210/31
Ukrainian students studying at Tunghai University shared their experiences with the Taichung Amcham. All the students expressed their gratitude to Taiwan and the university and emphasized the friendliness and kindness the people of Taiwan. Anna Chepusova, a freshman at the International College, said that she was surprised by “how everyone is willing to go out of the way to help and that Taiwan is a really safe place.” Another International College student, Markiian Pidkovych, talked about the “beauty of Formosa” and his love of traveling around Taiwan. He expressed that war has taught him the importance of family. He said his family wanted him to go to Taiwan so that he could learn skills and knowledge to rebuild Ukraine after the war had ended.
Ukrainian student Markiian Pidkovych shared his experience at Amcham
The students also pointed out lessons that Taiwan could learn. Lidiia Petruk, who is studying in the Teaching Chinese as Foreign Language Graduate Program, said that most people in Ukraine did not believe that Russia would really invade. Many media reports about Russia’s impending invasion, but most people did not take them seriously. Roman Koval, who dreams of being an airline pilot, talked about how “how civilians of Taiwan are not prepared.” When Nancy Pelosi visited the island, he asked his classmates the location of the nearest shelter in case of an invasion, and no one knew anything about where to shelter and what to do. George Reznychenko, a student at GMBA, talked about how the war has changed his priorities in life. Things like “material wealth and career success are not as important as your interaction with your fellow human beings. Helping others and not just focusing on yourself is what really matters.”
Ukrainian student Roman Koval shared his experience at Amcham
After the sharing, many audiences expressed their admiration for Ukrainian students’ bravery and thanked them for sharing their stories. The five speakers also appreciated the American Chamber of Commerce’s invitation for such a wonderful evening of sharing and exchanging ideas.
Group photo of the delegation from Tunghai University
