At the end of last month, our international exchange club had a fun cultural activity with Bandong Elementary School in Seoul. The topic was “The Beauty of Taiwan.” Our Korean friends became very curious about Taiwan and said they want to visit someday.

This month, the topic changed to “The Beauty of Korea.” We learned about a Korean island called Dokdo (독도), including its history and nature. Like Taiwan’s Diaoyutai Islands, Dokdo also faces a territory dispute, so the Korean teachers and students wanted to share their thoughts and knowledge with us.

Before the exchange, our students learned about the idea of territory disputes and studied information about Dokdo that our Korean friends had prepared.

On the day of the exchange, everyone had a tablet to take notes and use translation tools. The class was exciting and full of energy! The Korean students even wrote a special Dokdo song, which they shared in both Korean and Chinese.

Then, they took turns explaining Dokdo’s history, animals, and plants. At the end, they gave us a fun quiz to test our knowledge.

A special part of this event was that Korea’s Ministry of Education also joined the activity. They did a live broadcast in Korea so more teachers and parents could watch the international exchange.

After the event, many of our students wrote in their feedback forms that they were impressed by how much effort the Korean students put into the song and presentation. They said it made them feel the Korean students’ love for Dokdo.

Even though we don’t speak the same language, translation tools helped us learn about Dokdo’s plants, animals, and the cute seals that live there. The whole event was very interesting and fun.

Even though the topic was a bit difficult, our students learned a lot by comparing Taiwan and Korea. They learned how to understand the facts, history, geography, and the different opinions people have in a fair and respectful way.

This kind of cultural exchange helps students listen, respect others, and avoid arguments, which are important skills for becoming global citizens.