Conscription

Logo of the substitute service

The Conscription of Republic of China (Taiwan) is stipulated that every man needs to join the military for one year after they change to 18. You can ask for the postponed by your study. Most of people will join the military after their graduation from universities~ I am also the same!

However, the system of conscription is changed based on the desire of citizenry. Now it changed to be 1. normal one, 2. substitute service (SS). The substitute service means that you have to do something else to substitute for the normal military training. Besides that, there are two types of SS: 1. General service, 2. R&D service. Genenal one means there will be some vacancies served by some national organizations or schools, and we will be assigned based on our specilities mainly. Of course some of us will be assigned to the police offices or fire brigades. And the R&D service will be served by us who have IT background, and they will work for the technology company for three year. I applied the gerneral one by my Australian degree, so my speciality will be Englsih. As a result, I will work in a faraway primary school (normally the shcool who needs English background people will be in a remote mountains or islands) to assist the English teaching.

It's funny. After three weeks training and classes in the military camp, I got known that the system is learned from Germany - Militardienst. One of main officer of our government visited Germany 10 years ago and found out the warm and great interaction between a young man and an old one. He asked to know that the young man was just doing the military service by helping people. He thought it will be great if the system can work in Taiwan, which will be able to increase the efficiency of government and help the weaks of the country. Now, we who serve for the substitute service are asked to do more volunteer service around Taiwan. We can visit some elders' house or even some certer of organizations of minorities to be attentive to them. I am touched a lot by the introduction of some teachers in the class. They shared many senior classmates' experience to us. It seeems that they got many amazing experiences and their mind also grow up so much by that.

I just recalled that Mattias and Benni who are my German friend also had some remarkable life during the year of their military service (acturally it is social service). Although some people in Taiwan think the substitute service is served for those who afraid for the series of training, I still believe the existence of substitute service is still necessary and important for Taiwan or even the world, since around 150 men will be sent to some underdeveloped country to help their agriculture or even medical systems, what's more, Taiwanese government also send some people who have Chinese-teaching (traditional one) licence people to increase the quality of the education of Chinese schools in southeast Asia. It's so important for those non-Chinese citizen of Chinese origin kids to learn the most orthodoxy Chines.

I guess many friends will say that why not I choose to serve in a foreign country, that is because the business education background has no need for those countries (who has political relationships with Taiwan, e.g. SWAZILAND). But I think to help kids based on my experience and passion to increase their international knowledge or a little bit English ability is still meaninful and so significant for them. I will start the service after the two weeks training about the educational substitute service. I am ready!

Look how short my hair is now.....
My awesome brothers!!! We just had a celebrating party of the end of the military training ^^