RENEE FIGUEROA introduced RYE student Tyler Smith, who shared highlights from his year in Taiwan. 
Known as the Republic of China, it is one third the size of Indiana with three times the population. He shared briefly the long history, noting that independence was declared in 1987. Living with four different families in Changhua gave him the opportunity to see how life is lived in different economic situations. Rotary International provided opportunities to make many friends from all around the globe. His classmates treated him like a celebrity. It took him some time to learn Chinese (Tiawanese is also spoken), and to appreciate some of the food that was offered. Tyler said the best motto is to expect the unexpected and gave several examples of sights and events that were unexpected. After answering several good questions from members, he closed with this thought: “Not a year in a life, but a life in a year”.