Dee Friesen | Arts + Life Editor

Name: Yi Ping (Hillary) Ma
Hometown: Taichung, Taiwan

Yi Ping Ma, also known as Hillary, is a student at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages in Taiwan. Her major is Translation and Interpreting. She is here for one semester as an exchange student.

Ma had a choice to go to BVU or a school in Belgium to take a translation class. She was worried that the language in Belgium would be too difficult, so she chose to come to America.

“My major in high school is English so I studied English for 3 years,” said Ma. She was really excited to come to America. “America is my dream come true,” said Ma.

Ma expressed her interest in American culture and the differences that she has experienced so far.

Being from a larger city in Taiwan, she didn’t really know what to expect coming to a small town.

“The houses here are so beautiful and so cute. I’ve been to Des Moines and Sioux City, but I like the scenery in the small towns.” Ma mentioned how she enjoys walking around the lake. “Here in Storm Lake we call it a lake, but in Taiwan we might call it a sea because it is so big,” said Ma.

There are many things in America that Ma is interested in. She enjoys American celebrities and how open they are to meeting fans compared to famous people in Taiwan. “In Taiwan, most of the famous celebrities wear hats and sunglasses and avoid people,” said Ma.

“I think people here are really nice,” said Ma.

She explained when she goes on international field trips and meets people they will talk to you about anything. Ma explained that compared to Taiwan, people in America are very social. As an example, she used her homework routine. In Taiwan, Ma did homework in her room with no one around. Her friends at BVU noticed her absence and she realized friends sometimes do homework in groups. She decided to move into the common area to be closer to her friends while doing homework.

In Taiwan, Ma is considered talkative. Her friends back home have said that it seems Ma can talk to anyone! She enjoys how social her American friends are. However, she had to get used to eye contact.

“People here, they tend to look at peoples eyes when talking,” said Ma. “In Taiwan, we maybe look at people’s nose or ears while talking, not really the eyes.”

The most obvious difference in any culture is the food. Ma has enjoyed food in America; especially the Pizza Ranch here is Storm Lake. In Taiwan, Ma’s family owns a Beef Noodle Shop.

“When I’m in Taiwan, I don’t miss the beef noodles. But when I come here, I miss the noodles.”

College is a time of transitions and life changes. It’s very interesting to get to know someone who is experiencing a whole new culture on top of the college experience.

Graphic by Justice Gage
Photo by Dee Friesen