Job Discussion Forums

[gremilygarr]

Hi! Everyone!

Any pearls of wisdom for me?

So my story goes....Because of the results of my research over the past 6 months I had chosen Taichung as the city that my two friends and I would live and work in when we move to Taiwan from Oregon (next week). I read that Taichung is less polluted (than Taipei or Kaohsiung), less populated (but still with many jobs), has more city parks, is closer to natural beauty, and has live music.

Recently, I had a recruiter (whose information I took with a grain of salt) tell me that it is in fact more polluted, that the road signs make it extremely frustrating for foreigners, and that it is very dangerous as it is run by the Taiwanese gangsters.

Her pitch to me was that we would find more comforts such as Subway and Starbucks in Taipei. As an experienced traveler, having lived alone in a village in Kenya- the idea of more Starbucks and Mcdonalds which are two places that I don't even step into at home is not at all an attraction for us!!!

I don't expect Taichung to have no pollution and be small and quaint, but I was wondering what your view of it is compared to these opposing visions. I realize the nature of the large cities in Taiwan and have an open mind to all sorts of experiences, but those qualities listed in the first paragraph would make a place more appealing.

Can you think of a place that embodies some of those characteristics if Taichung does not?

Thanks for your help!

HiGhLy ApPreCiAtiVe!!

[matchstick_man]

Your recruiter's opinion is correct. I live in Taichung and would say Taipei is much easier to get around in and less polluted. Subway and Starbucks can be found in Taichung. However they are not as pentiful as you wuold find in Taipei. The parks and live music in Taipei are better than those in Taichung. If you're trying to escape McDonald's you'll have problems acheiving that in Taiwan. They're everywhere here.

As for the gangster thing, I don't know, most foreigners don't get involved with that all apart from going to the bars that they may own.

[Aristotle]

[matchstick_man]

Aristotle, you obviously didn't read my entire post or you would have noticed where I live. Hint: It's not Taipei.

How do you avoid banks altogether by wiring money home? Surely you need to go to a bank to do that.


Why don't you tell the original poster never to cross the road because cars cause road accidents?

[sbettinson]

I live in Taichung and it's great.

Forget all the horror stories about gangsters and what not. You won't have any problems with them unless you go looking for it. I drink and spend most of my nights out in places where foreigners are rarely found. I have never had any trouble and as long as you are not a complete dickhead then people will leave you alone.

As for getting around, once you are mobile with a scooter then everything is accessible. The MRT in Taipei makes things much easier for getting around though I do have to admit. Working out the buses in Taichung is impossible unless you can read Chinese.

My first impressions of Taichung were not as good as they were of Taipei. I spent 3 weeks in Taipei looking for work and ended up in Taichung. It is a little more laid back than Taipei but it is still pretty hectic at times too. Depends on which part of the city you are located.

Around an area in Taichung known as "Little Europe" is where most of the foreigners live and hang out. Plenty of bars, restaurants etc that cater to western tastes. You can also stay away from them and have a good experience of local culture too. It's nice to be able to service both though, at least for me anyway.

If you would like to know more about Taichung then PM me. I will be glad to answer any questions you have.

Good luck.

Shaun

[gremilygarr]

Hmmm... aRiStoTLe... you're funnY... not ha ha funny, but aNYwaYs...

it is good to hear all sides of a subject, though....

Thanks for the input and I will certainly take more as well.

Does anybody know is Tainan embodies any of those characteristics that i mentioned in the first post? Any other city?

remember that we are not overly concerned about western conveniences (unless you consider low pollution a convenience)-just to be able to get by without knowing chinese at first, good jobs, and a community of friends... what do you think?

tHanK yOu all AgaiN!

*eMiLy*

[Aristotle]

[clark.w.griswald]

Gremilygarr, good on you for seeing right through Aristotles post.