The Ambassadors on Campus program organized by the Secretariat, New Taipei City Government invited Darío Filártiga Ruiz Díaz, Ambassador of the Republic of Paraguay, to New Taipei Municipal Jinhe High School today (20th). Díaz gave a speech entitled “Exploring Paraguay” to approximately 370 teachers and students, introducing the country’s rich cultural history and the deep friendship between Taiwan and Paraguay. This marked Díaz’s first time giving a speech at a high school since arriving in Taiwan to assume his new post. His speech was received enthusiastically by the teachers and students, creating a vibrant atmosphere teeming with interaction and exchange.
 
To welcome Díaz to the school, Jinhe High School carefully planned exchange activities and showcased many of the school’s high-tech teaching materials and equipment, which left a lasting impression on the ambassador. Díaz presented the diverse faces of Paraguay through rich visuals and text. He even shared the iconic national drink of Paraguay, tereré, with the audience. He also highlighted the close ties between Paraguay and Taiwan, underscoring the importance of education for economic development, and expressed his commitment to tirelessly promoting this invaluable friendship within the global community..

Darío Filártiga Ruiz Díaz, Ambassador of the Republic of Paraguay, gives a speech entitled “Exploring Paraguay.”

Ting-An Chen, a senior student, said that she had gathered relevant information about Paraguay before the speech to learn more about the country. She wishes to visit Paraguay in the future to gain a deeper understanding of its culture and development, and also aspires to become a diplomat one day and foster the diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Paraguay. Yen-Chi Chen, another senior student, said that her previous knowledge of Paraguay was mostly confined to what textbooks portrayed. After listening to the speech, she felt deeply moved by the friendship between the two countries and hopes to someday personally taste the traditional Paraguayan dish, vori vori, recommended by the ambassador.
 
Chun-Ning Chang, Principal of Jinhe High School, said that the school has long been committed to promoting international education and foreign language learning, and cultivating students’ broad perspective of “based in Taiwan, reaching out to the world” through online cross-border exchanges and in-person interaction with international visitors. She also thanked New Taipei City Government’s Secretariat for the matchmaking, allowing students to overcome geographical distance and learn about Paraguay through the ambassador’s personal sharing. The entire lecture was conducted in Spanish, which gave students the exposure to one of the world’s most widely spoken languages.

Around 370 teachers and students from Jinhe High School attended Ambassador Díaz’s speech.

Hui-Mei Juh, Director General of the Secretariat, said that the city government will continue to bring an international perspective into campuses in hopes to broaden students’ global outlook and inspire their interest and enthusiasm for international affairs through the Ambassadors on Campus program. More than ten speechs are planned for this semester, and the next one will be given by Matthieu Baudouin A. Branders, Director of the Belgian Office, Taipei, who will visit Forestry Elementary and Junior High School in Tucheng District for exchange with teachers and students.

Students from Jinhe High School exchange views with Ambassador Díaz and his wife.

Chun-Ning Chang, Principal of Jinhe High School, introduces the school’s tech center to Ambassador Díaz.