Job Discussion Forums

Miyazaki · Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 635 Location: My Father's Yacht

dangerousapple wrote

BigWally · Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 9:32 pm Post subject:

I wrote this a while ago in some other post....thought it was sort of relevant to the conversation (if nothing to just play devil's advocate of sorts Twisted Evil

)

773 · Joined: 29 May 2005 Posts: 213

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

pinkflyd7 · Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 2:10 pm Post subject:

I can't help but agree with just about everything the OP said. After 4 years in Taiwan, I was happy to leave. Having a Taiwanese wife and two mixed kids, we were like monkeys in a cage in Taiwan. Everywhere we went, people would stare at us and take our pictures.

One day, I took my kids to the park, and I was filming them, when some people came up to us and started to take our picture. So I started filming them. You can see the video here if you want:

http://kenberglund.blogspot.com/2008/04/day-at-park.html

The only thing I miss about Taiwan these days is the food. I miss the "dan bing" in the morning for breakfast. And I miss the "jen ju nai cha" and "low bow gow" at the Chung Shui Tan restaurant. That's it. I don't miss the rude people or the annoying teenagers I used to teach. I don't miss the blue trucks that wouldn't even slow down for a pregnant woman, or the hideous architechture. I certainly don't miss people shouting "waigouran!" whenever I walked outside. I'm quite content to be back in the US, where multi-culturism is widely common and accepted.

ramakentesh · Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 145

Wow this forum has changed - last time I was here there was a guy who couldnt handle anyone saying anything about Taiwan at all.
And at that time when i was there i must say I also had a fair bit to say about the place.
Korea was better in many ways. More interesting for a start.
I started out in Beijing which I loved - expected something remotely similar in taiwan and didnt find it at all.
And half the expats i met over there had asperger's syndrome... The hiding place of some very strange westerners...

Richard · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 33 Location: Taiwan

I agree with a lot of what's been said already.

There are many things about Taiwan I've enjoyed and don't want to come off too cynical, but just to add a few more things I'm sick of after six years (I realize many of these aren't unique to this country):

- being given a paper receipt with my change
- the often-ridiculous stuff you have to watch out for on the road if you drive a scooter in the city
- parents and school admins who tolerate extreme rudeness from kids
- addiction to air-conditioning
- having to prepare, or rather drill, for epic gala kindergarten "graduation" shows for 3-4 months that serve little purpose other than exhausting/stressing out both kids and staff, and giving parents a big flashy bling-bling showpiece so they can "see" where all their hefty tuition went
- constant pandering to parents in general
- "Quic-KUH-ly!" "Huh?" "I want! I want!" "Teacha so hot!" "Inside have...inside have...inside have" "I want to be a ___ because I can have money."
- parents who raise their kids on a diet of fast food, computer games and TV and then wonder why they're non-verbal, fat and lethargic
- on the flip side, kids so obsessed with perfection that they break down in tears over any test score less than 100%
- those damn working Saturdays to "make-up" for previous holidays, or placing a holiday on a Thursday and then having work again on Friday