Life as an American in Taiwan.

The list of differences between Taiwan and home is as long as the flight over here. From drinking water to going to the bathroom. The common forms of transportation to the types of trees that grow. Everywhere you look things are different. But even with all of these differences, the ins and outs of everyday life are very similar.

Language

The language barrier was extremely overhyped. I would guess 50% of Taiwanese speak some level of English. The ones who don’t speak English, understand gestures. There have only been 4 or 5 times where the language barrier has caused a real problem. My desire to learn Chinese isn’t as high since I moved here because so many people speak English.

If so many people speak English, does that mean there are a lot of foreigners in Taichung?  NO! Diversity here is basically non existent. Other than the teachers I work with I might see a non-Asian person every 2 or 3 days.

So what is the result of a lot of Taiwanese who speak English and not a lot of foreigners? The result is both fun and annoying. It seems like every Taiwanese who knows a drop of English will practice by talking to us. Sometimes it is pretty fun to talk to random locals on the street. Other times, when you cannot understand anything they say but they keep talking, it sucks.

People

People here are frightened of the sun hitting their skin. In America the tanner the better. Here, the whiter the better. They wear sun screen at all times. They cover up every inch, and I mean EVERY inch when they scoot. It is very silly.

So why do they want to be white? It’s a combination of preventing skin diseases and trying to look white. Taiwanese are obsessed with American culture and being white. People go as far as bleaching their skin to look white.

It seems like most Taiwanese I talk to want to move to America, even though most have never visited. I never understood how powerful Hollywood is until now.

So what does this obsession with America mean for me? It means everyone staring at me basically everywhere I go. It means random strangers asking to be in a picture with me. It means no one ever being rude to me. (A treatment Taiwanese people don’t always apply to each other.) It means I do not always have to pay full price. It means everyone going out of their way to be friendly.

The food

A lot of Taiwanese food is bland. They aren’t a very adventurous group. It is still very good, but not too spicy or sweet or bitter. However that isn’t all Taiwanese food. Any street you walk down you can find many street vendors cooking some crazy foods. I have found the only foods I really do not like are their takes on western foods.

But just like life at home. There are things that are awesome about living in Taiwan, and there are things that aren’t the best. But overall life is pretty easy here.

Im going on a trip this Wednesday so I will post about it sometime before next weekend. I am going to Hong Kong next weekend. I will post about that Monday or Tuesday.

I will also try to remember to take a picture of my scooter sometime this week.

People from all of these countries have read this blog:

USA

Taiwan

Russia

Germany

Poland

France

Italy

Bahrain

Belgium

Malaysia

Canada

UK

Thailand

Austria

Vietnam

China

Korea

Japan

Spain

Scary! Maybe I should start editing and proofreading before I post….nah