During my six-week study tour at JIC Baguio, I’d love to share my experiences and thoughts.
在我為期六週的JIC碧瑤遊學之旅中，我想分享一些我的體驗與想法。
為何選擇碧瑤JIC Challenger？
I chose to study at JIC Challenger campus in Baguio because after discussing it with my agent, I felt it’s a great place for those who want to focus on a Sparta-style program and study hard. Plus, I preferred a school with fewer Taiwanese students so I could immerse myself in an English-speaking environment and improve more quickly.
我選擇就讀於碧瑤語言學校的JIC Challenger校區，是因為和代辦討論後，覺得這是一個非常適合想要專注於斯巴達英文課程及認真讀書的地方。此外，我也比較希望學校內的台灣學生少一點，這樣我可以沉浸在全英文的環境中，更快速地提升自己。
By the way, I went with an agency called Hsin-Fei because I saw lots of positive reviews online, so I decided to give them a try. My agent, Ivy, was efficient and quick to respond, she always replied in seconds, even when I had issues abroad. She also checked in with me regularly during my study tour to make sure I was still alive. Before I signed up, I had already seen people online recommending Ivy, and it turned out she ended up being my agent as well. Lucky.
順帶一提，我是透過一家叫做「新飛」的遊學代辦公司出國的，因為我在網路上看到很多正面評價，所以決定試試看。我的代辦顧問是 Ivy，她做事很有效率、回覆速度超快，就算我人在國外遇到問題，她也都是秒回。而且她在我遊學期間還會定期關心我，確保我「還活著」。在報名之前，我就看到很多網友推薦 Ivy，結果真的很幸運，最後我的代辦就是她。
If you’ve been to Baguio or done a bit of research, you’ve probably heard that SM Mall is pretty much the only place students go to hang out on weekends, and yes, that’s mostly true. But don’t worry about that. Even though it’s limited, there are still places where you can relax and recharge on weekends. I’ll share more details about that below.
如果你曾經去過碧瑤，或者稍微查過資料，你大概有聽說 SM 百貨幾乎是學生週末唯一會去的地方，沒錯，大部分情況確實是這樣。但別擔心，雖然選擇不多，週末還是有一些地方可以讓你放鬆、充電。我會在下面分享更多細節。
關於JIC碧瑤語言學校
I enrolled in the ESL Sparta program, which includes eight classes per day and mandatory self-study time from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM. We had six one-on-one classes and two group classes each day. Most of my teachers were great, friendly and professional, but there was one new teacher who didn’t seem passionate about teaching and ended up leaving shortly after getting a new job. Therefore, If you feel the teacher isn’t suitable for you, don’t hesitate to go to the office and request a change. It’s completely normal, and it’s your right to do so.
我報名的是 ESL Sparta 課程，每天有八堂課，晚上 7:30 到 10:00 還有強制自習時間。每天包含六堂一對一課程和兩堂小團體課程。大多數老師都很棒，既親切又專業，但其中有一位新老師對教學似乎不太有熱情，後來也因為找到新工作而離職了。所以，如果你覺得老師不適合自己，千萬不要猶豫，直接到辦公室申請更換老師是很正常的，而且你完全有權這麼做喔。
At JIC, in addition to the office, dormitory, and classrooms, there is also a cafeteria, gym, library, café, and K-Mart. There’s even an area for playing volleyball and badminton. My friends and I sometimes play volleyball after finishing our classes. On top of that, I usually relax at the café during my free time.
在 JIC，除了辦公室、宿舍和教室之外，還設有學生餐廳、健身房、圖書館、咖啡廳和 K-Mart，甚至還有可以打排球和羽毛球的區域。我有時會在下課後和朋友們一起打排球，空閒時間則常常會在咖啡廳放鬆一下。
From my experience, the main difference between the Sparta and semi-Sparta programs is the evening self-study period. If you think self-study isn’t necessary, you can make a choice for the semi-Sparta track and still study in the library at night.
依照我的經驗，斯巴達 和 半斯巴達 課程最大的差別在於晚上的強制自習時間。如果你覺得不需要被規定自習，也可以選擇半斯巴達課程，晚上一樣可以自己去圖書館讀書。
關於碧瑤JIC Challenger國籍組成
I met lots of amazing people from different countries, like Japan, Korea, Arab, and some from China. During April and May, which are considered the off-season, most students were Japanese(over 50), followed by Taiwanese(over 40), Koreans(about 10+), Arabs(around 10), and only 1 or 2 from China. Before coming, I expected only a handful of Taiwanese, but it turned out there were more than I thought, maybe just an exception for this period.
我認識了很多來自不同國家很棒的人，像是日本、韓國、阿拉伯地區，還有一些來自中國的學生。4～5月算是淡季，這段期間最多的是日本學生（超過50人），其次是台灣學生（超過40人）、韓國學生（10多人）、阿拉伯學生（大約10人），中國學生則只有1～2位。 原本以為來這裡的台灣學生屈指可數，結果比想像中還多一些，可能這段期間剛好是特例吧。
關於碧瑤JIC Challenger宿舍
I stayed in a quadruple room(studio for 4) with two Japanese and an Arab roommate. They were super friendly. I think living in a shared room gave me a chance to connect with people from different countries, and I recommend it.
我住的是四人房（Studio for 4），室友是兩位日本人和一位阿拉伯同學，他們都非常友善。 我覺得住在多人房讓我有機會跟來自不同國家的人交流，我很推薦這樣的住宿選擇。
關於碧瑤JIC Challenger娛樂活動
In Baguio, you can enjoy activities like getting a massage, horseback riding, grabbing some alcoholic drinks(like Lock Down & Gray Area), or visiting the popular SM Mall and Burnham Park. In addition to the above, I also recommend exploring outside Baguio, like Hundred Islands, Vigan City, San Juan Beach, Aqua Planet, and various camping sites(they’re easy to find). I know some of these places are quite far from Baguio, some even take five hours to get to, but trust me, they’re totally worth the trip. I made some unforgettable memories in those places.
在碧瑤，你可以享受按摩、騎馬、喝酒（像是 Lock Down 和 Gray Area 這些酒吧），或者去熱門的 SM Mall 和 Burnham 公園逛逛。 除了這些，我還推薦你可以到碧瑤市外的地方走走，例如百島群島、美岸、聖胡安海灘、水族館 Aqua Planet，以及各種露營地（這些地方都很好找）。 我知道有些地方離碧瑤比較遠，有的甚至需要五個小時車程，但相信我，這些地方絕對值得一遊。我在那些地方留下了難忘的回憶。
關於碧瑤JIC Challenger費用
I received a $600 discount from the Spartan Challenge promotion. The total cost for me was around 120,000 TWD, which included: Tuition + housing: around 72,500 TWD Local fees: around 16,500 TWD Living expenses(travel, souvenirs, food): around 20,000 TWD Round-trip airfare: around 11,500 TWD.
我有拿到斯巴達挑戰的優惠，折抵 600 美金 所以，我的總花費大約是12萬台幣，包含： 學費＋住宿：約72,500台幣 當地費用：約16,500台幣 生活開銷（交通、紀念品、飲食）：約20,000台幣 來回機票：約11,500台幣。
I made so many new friends, many of whom I met for the first time, and created a bunch of amazing memories. This trip will be one of my favorites.
我認識了很多新朋友，很多都是第一次見面，也留下了許多美好的回憶。這次旅程絕對是我最喜歡的經歷之一。
