Job Discussion Forums

[lifebleedsmotion]

i'm from canada and am leaving for taiwan in less than a week. i'm unsure if i would even be able to get a vaccination against hep a and typhoid before then. in any case...i was wondering how prevalent hep a was and if you all thought the vaccination should be something to get?

also, what kind of clothes are women expected to wear whilst teaching in taiwan? i know a friend of mine in thailand could only wear long dresses. i'm wondering if i could get away with sneakers and dress pants...or even a pleasant skirt.

final question: are the price of contacts and glasses cheaper in taiwan than canada? what kind of things should i (as a person and woman) make sure to pack?

thanks so much!

[Sheep-Goats]

Dress is more casual here than in Thailand. Much more. But don't overdo it. If you've worked a respectable sales job in Canada you probably have an idea of how you should dress here. If you haven't, go down to the mall and troll around in the clothing sections of the anchor shops. The girls in there are probably more conservatively dressed than you need. As a woman in Taiwan you'll likely be hounded to teach kids, where dresscodes are even more lenient -- even in Thailand.

I'd get your glasses and at least a startup batch of contacts in Canada -- that way you'll at least have the packaging to show to a Chinese shop keeper if they don't speak a word of English. There's a Costco in Taipei, I bet they have contacts in there.

As a woman, the only thing out of the ordinary you probably need is an ample supply of suitable bras if you have biggish bewbies. Bring pictures of home, your relatives, and a few childhood pictures of yourself at different ages to show to students. Bring whatever CDs or DVDs you consider an important part of your life as they'll be hard to find here -- likewise with books, but don't go overboard on the books as they're heavy (eg: 3 and no more). You can buy adequate Chinese learning materials here (not really the case if you're going to the Mainland).

I think there's a one-shot hep A vaccine. It's a good idea to get that one if you're travelling/living anywhere in Asia (apart from, maybe, Japan). Keep in mind that you'll probably want to take a vacation to Thailand or wherever while you're in the neighborhood. I don't know about the typhoid vaccine -- I'd have to check my yellow book to see if I had it.