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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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 Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 11:26 pm Post subject: Taiwan not a good place to be a foreigner |
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apparently...
http://www.bikechina.com/ct-agraceffo-tsaml1.html
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"Which road goes to Sun Moon Lake?" I asked the husband and wife, as I entered.
"Noooooo!" The woman screamed, shaking her head, and waving her arms, as if warding off a devil.
Normally I would have shown the slightest bit of tact. But I was tired. And I was angry. And I didn��t feel like playing the game of "It��s OK, I speak Chinese." No, I just wanted to know what would motivate an adult to freak out, wave his hands and scream like a small child.
"What��s your problem?" I asked in Chinese, not even caring where the lake was anymore.
"Noooooo!" She shouted again.
"What is your problem!" I Shouted. "Why are you so rude? I just want to ask where Sun Moon Lake is. Why are you acting like such a moron?"
She stopped screaming and said. "Go to the end and turn left." |
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Hater Depot
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 12:41 am Post subject: |
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| Ah, there are nutters everywhere aren't there. What would we do without them? |
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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 12:43 am Post subject: |
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I know but if you read the story it sounds like that's pretty much your standard issue conversation as a white man in Taiwan.
This guy was at the end of a long stint though, I'm sure it can't be all that bad |
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Hater Depot
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 2:21 am Post subject: |
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| I was in Taiwan last summer, I heard some little girl behind me say "gwai-lo" (foreigner). I don't know why I didn't say something, it would've been priceless to see the look on her face. Once I spoke Korean to this little boy who was amazed to see a whitey, I don't think he even realized we were speaking the same language. |
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trevorcollins
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 2:58 am Post subject: |
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Taiwan is a great destination.
I found people there to be offering lifts whenever I was walking around, looking at a map and someone would help.
They have that desperate to learn english thing that koreans have going but don't seem as embarassed to talk to you in broken english, riddled with mistakes etc.
I don't know what the bike china guy has up his ass. maybe just extrapolating a little. |
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Keepongoing
Joined: 13 Feb 2003
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 9:34 pm Post subject: Gwai Loh!!!! |
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I lived in Hong Kong for 15 years and most Chinese refer to whites as "gwai lo" it means white demon or white ghost. In stating that, t them, it is the same as Koreans calling us waygooks.
Gwaloh was coined as an expression by the Chinese during the time of Gunboat Diplomacy. The first whites many of them saw came to arrogantly decimate their lives and introduce opium.
Anyway, these days it is not really meant to be offensive.
When I was in Taiwan I found to peoplle to be very friendly, especially after Hong Kong LOL |
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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 12:27 am Post subject: |
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UPDATE!
CHINA ALSO RUBBISH!
http://www.chinaphotography.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21
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| Most first time China visitors think they have stepped into the future when they arrive until some retard wearing a dirty suit and slippers squatting next to a tricycle shouts "Hello!" and giggles. Vistors are quickly jerked back to reality that they are not in Kansas anymore when they realize that they have instead fallen into a time warp back to 1900. Foreigners can live here for years and never adjust. |
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numazawa
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Location: The Concrete Barnyard
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| Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 3:16 am Post subject: |
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Whoa--
 (don't blink) You fink! I think your ch*nk-link has gone into the drink.  (wink) |
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zoossh
Joined: 11 Dec 2005
Location: Singapore
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 1:21 am Post subject: |
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| Hater Depot wrote: |
| I was in Taiwan last summer, I heard some little girl behind me say "gwai-lo" (foreigner). I don't know why I didn't say something, it would've been priceless to see the look on her face. Once I spoke Korean to this little boy who was amazed to see a whitey, I don't think he even realized we were speaking the same language. |
did you confuse taiwan with hongkong? gwai-lo is not taiwanese or mandarin, but probably cantonese used in HK. hardly anyone ever speak a single word of cantonese in taiwan.
taiwanese usually called the whites as lao-wai (mandarin) which literally means someone from outside. |
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zoossh
Joined: 11 Dec 2005
Location: Singapore
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 1:31 am Post subject: Re: Taiwan not a good place to be a foreigner |
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| Swiss James wrote: |
apparently...
http://www.bikechina.com/ct-agraceffo-tsaml1.html
| Quote: |
"Which road goes to Sun Moon Lake?" I asked the husband and wife, as I entered.
"Noooooo!" The woman screamed, shaking her head, and waving her arms, as if warding off a devil.
Normally I would have shown the slightest bit of tact. But I was tired. And I was angry. And I didn��t feel like playing the game of "It��s OK, I speak Chinese." No, I just wanted to know what would motivate an adult to freak out, wave his hands and scream like a small child.
"What��s your problem?" I asked in Chinese, not even caring where the lake was anymore.
"Noooooo!" She shouted again.
"What is your problem!" I Shouted. "Why are you so rude? I just want to ask where Sun Moon Lake is. Why are you acting like such a moron?"
She stopped screaming and said. "Go to the end and turn left." |
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there's bound to be some nutties everywhere. god knows what's wrong with her to freak out that way, unless there is the slightest possibility that u look like u r going to cause her some harm 
but by the way, it is an asian thing that a foreigner should behave nicely and pleasantly in the host country. so maybe you should try to avoid reacting in that manner next time. there isn't a lot of foreigners in taiwan except for the major cities. they may just see a few foreigner and whatever manner a foreiger behave in front of them will cast a permanent impression on all subsequent foreigners they are going to meet next, if ever. |
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joe_doufu
Joined: 09 May 2005
Location: Elsewhere
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 4:45 am Post subject: |
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| zoossh wrote: |
| Hater Depot wrote: |
| I was in Taiwan last summer, I heard some little girl behind me say "gwai-lo" (foreigner). I don't know why I didn't say something, it would've been priceless to see the look on her face. Once I spoke Korean to this little boy who was amazed to see a whitey, I don't think he even realized we were speaking the same language. |
did you confuse taiwan with hongkong? gwai-lo is not taiwanese or mandarin, but probably cantonese used in HK. hardly anyone ever speak a single word of cantonese in taiwan.
taiwanese usually called the whites as lao-wai (mandarin) which literally means someone from outside. |
HA HA HA ha ha ha...
zoossh, I think it's pretty clear that Hater Depot was joking. He spoke Korean to a Taiwanese boy.. and didn't think the boy "even realized we were speaking the same language." And the Taiwanese were calling him "foreign ghost" in Cantonese? LOL you fell for it. |
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iiicalypso
Joined: 13 Aug 2003
Location: is everything
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 5:16 am Post subject: |
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I have to disagree that Taiwan is not a good place to be a foreigner, at least when compared to Korea. I have been living in the countryside teaching elementary school for a few months now, and I have to say that the people here have been far more accomodating, overall, than they were in Bundang. Even though I am probably the only westerner living in the area (there are a lot of Thais and Malays) I don't get that laser stare feeling I used to get all the time walking down the street. I don't know that the Taiwanese are any more comfortable with foreigners, but there are none of the pockets of "get out of my country" that I used to get.
That said, life in the country is dull, dull, dull. It may be that people are just too bored to be mean. |
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