My first internship stipend will be spent on souvenirs from Taiwan

Name: – Mallikarjun Karra

College:  – IIT – Kharagpur

Interning with: – National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan

How will I spend my 1st internship stipend?

I’m getting paid 6000 Taiwanese dollars per month at NCTU, Taiwan for a two month internship in High Energy Physics. It is not a very high amount and most of it will be utilised in my accommodation and food expenses there.

With what remains, I would like to buy small mementos for family and friends. Now Taiwan is a technologically advanced country and everyone knows that most electronic gizmos are available at dirt cheap prices, especially in Hsinchu (where I’m going), which hosts their ‘Silicon Valley’.

However, rather than gifting electronics gadgets, I would like to buy and present local handicrafts and eco-friendly goods to my loved ones. I would like to visit National Parks, aboriginal settlements and remote places of scenic beauty and collect small souvenirs like handwoven stuff (interistingly all Atayal women-folk are brilliant at it) or shells and rare and not so rare rocks and gems (jade is abundant there). I also love exotic fruits, I’ll probably try and buy some just before I fly back.

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