i am an 18 year old student that recently finished high school in Canada I was born in Canada and have lived there for my whole life. I have been living in Taiwan for the past year but due to some familial issues, I have decided to move back. The problem is that my parents refuse to buy me an airplane ticket back. I have little money and my Chinese is not very good which makes it hard for me to find a job. I entered the country on a Taiwan passport which I obtained because my father is of Taiwanese nationality. I don’t want to be drafted into the military, but I have no way of getting back. What are my options in my situations.
I’m willing to sue my parents if anyone can give me justifiable cause.
I think you’re stuck. You’re not independent enough to make it on your own, so you should reconcile with your folks. What do they want for you? What do you want for you?
They want me to stay here and attend university here even though I have already selected my school and courses back in Canada, i have housing down and for other essentials a part time job is more than enough.
Edit : I believe that I am capable of surviving without my parents. Many teenagers at my age are actually kicked out of their parents houses and forced to be independent, I only wish the case was the same for me, curse my luck for have Asian parents.
My father moved the family to Taiwan last year so we could try living here because he works in Taiwan. He promised me and my two sisters that if we didn’t like it we could move back, but he bought a house and a new car and when I told him I wanted to go back, he told me that there was no way I was going back.
Both my sisters also want to go back, but that doesn’t matter to him. His word means nothing.
I have no interest in learning Chinese, I just want to start university as soon as possible and in an environment where I understand the language and am able to thrive.
Don’t look into suing your parents or renouncing citizenship. Try to sit down and talk with your dad about how you can look after yourself, and try to understand his concerns.
Honestly, and no offence meant, with the few posts you have made, I might assume you might not be mature enough for self dependence.
Im glad u aint my kid But that being said. You are 18, and yes it will be nice to get going on college and I think your dad should let you go to college so you can get that over with posthaste. Maybe there are other reasons. Maybe you can take this as a golden opportunity to learn something new about life in general by living in Taiwan. A whole new universe from the one you know.
But yeah it sucks. I think most anyone in your situ would feel much the same.
Ride it out a bit. Go to the taiwan military (its softer then the US or Canadian one i hear)>
TAke this opportunity to get to know your dad better too as a person. Lots to learn and to enjoy too, if you give it the right attitude.
Sounds like you need to sit down and have a calm serious talk with your family. Don’t make it about what YOU want, make it about what is best for your future.
Have they thought this university thing through? How they intend to get you into university here? Can you get in a foreign student, despite having citizenship, (presumably) household registration, etc? How do they expect you to manage it with bad spoken Chinese and (presumably) no written Chinese? What are their goals for you? Point out that a degree from a Canadian University will give you more options, may even be better received in Taiwan, and will give you a much better chance of being successful (and rich) in the future. Say that you’re really concerned about getting shortchanged on your education due to language problems. Stuff like that. DON’T say that you want to go back to your friends or that you just like Canada better, or that you just want to escape from them, or anything like that.
If they still won’t budge, then go get a job. It might be difficult to find something, but probably not impossible. Do whatever you can to save up enough money to buy yourself a plane ticket.
Do not sue your folks. Do not renounce your citizenship. Both of these avenues are not solutions, but actually additional problems. You need to get a job and pay your own way, simple as that. Put your uni plans on hold. I’m certain you wouldn’t regret learning Mandarin, but you may regret not learning it. This is a wonderful opportunity for you pal. I wish I had the chance at 18 to live abroad. Are your sisters joining you in Canada? If so, how is their Chinese? You have limited options, but you can certainly make it happen. Don’t get discouraged. How about working for a foreign boss? Lots of foreigners here with companies. A restaurant would be a great place to start. Washing dishes, clearing tables or kitchen prep would be perfect. You could even do this with a local boss. Moving company, gas station, car wash, delivering newspapers, handing out flyers, English speaking babysitter. Get your resume together and start making connections.
Your other option is to get a credit card and charge the flight. Not the best idea. Not sure how difficult it is to get one here, but I had one when I was 18 or 19 in Canada. Learned some expensive lessons.
You should explain a the reasons why college in Canada would be better. Actually you shouldn’t have to do it this way but you can’t change people overnight. In the end you are old enough to know what you want and I think undergrad in Taiwan is not the best choice for you anyway. You can mention to your dad that you could over to Taiwan to learn Chinese in the summer or maybe do a postgraduate degree in Taiwan. Suing your parents is a really dumb idea.
If you can afford to sue your parents, you can afford a plane ticket. You should be able to get a one-way for NT$20,000 or less. How do you pay for your food, rent, etc? Since you haven’t starved, you have money. Start saving it. Live in a grotty old bedsit for three months if you have to, and eat lu rou fan (bargain at NT$25/bowl) every day. If your parents are feeding you but not giving you money (staying at your dad’s place?) try doing contract work on guru.com or elance.com.
Why not just join the military? You’ll get paid. Apart from your desire to get back to university, would it really be so bad? Compared to most countries, Taiwanese military training (for conscripts) is pretty poor, but you’ll probably learn something useful. Or, as others have said, just tell your parents you’ve accepted the situation and want to study Chinese. They stump up the fees (you can also apply for a scholarship) and you can plan your escape in the meantime. Don’t just reject every experience that presents itself to you, even if it appears unpalatable at first. University will be a lot more fun with some life experience behind you, and being able to speak Chinese is a big tickmark on your CV. If nothing else, it’ll increase your chances with Chinese girls when you get back to that Canadian university.
Frankly, if you’re prepared to sue your parents, I’d say your relationship with them has broken down irretrievably and the advice to talk to them might be a bit too late; some of the above responses suggest it’s partly your fault (and who knows, it might be) but you guys appear to have major problems that aren’t going to be worked out by a little fireside chat.
You can’t sue your parents. What would you sue for? I believe you’re considered a minor, in Taiwan, until you’re 20. Which means your parents are responsible for you, but doesn’t mean they have to pay your way out of the country, nor pay for your university. And, in Canada, you’re considered an adult at 18, so you’re on your own.
Renouncing your Taiwanese citizenship will simply close doors. Sure, you might hate it here and see no future here. But in 10 or 20 years? Who knows? Besides, you might not be able to renounce your citizenship until you’ve done military service. I have a student – a few years older than you – in the same situation. He was told he had to serve first.
I think it’s usually a good idea to do something else for a year or two after high school, before going to university. You’ll likely get a LOT more out of university if you do. Doing the military service you might learn a useful skill. You ought to learn a decent amount of Chinese, which could be useful even if utterly uninteresting. (Kind of like push-ups and jogging, which you’ll also do a fair bit of.) If nothing else, it’ll be a useful lesson (or three) in self-discipline, which will serve you well, whatever you do. And hey, it’ll get you out of the house, away from your dad, and in the end you’ll have money in your pocket.
How old are your sisters? If younger, do they speak Chinese? What’s happening with their school? If older, they’re legally adults, here and back in Canada. If your sisters are older, and also want to return to Canada, the three of you ought to be able to scrape together enough money to fly back, rent an apartment, and set up the family up again, minus mom and dad. Tough, but far easier, and smarter, than doing it on your own.
If your sisters are younger, trying to return to Canada without family support would be a bad idea on a number of levels.
Those of you advocating a sit down talk with the Op’s dad, let me just say that “calm serious discussions” with Taiwanese fathers are simply not possible, trust me lol.
Your absolutely right Tony, I was researching things about going back to school in Canada and my father saw it and raged at me completely. He said there was absolutely no way I was going back. So for people who think that it’s strange, stupid or Erratic for me to even think of suing my parents, i can assure you there is a good reason.
It would still be a waste of time (and money) to sue them. The only people likely to come out smiling from that one would be the lawyers. I think the important point here is (1) you are legally an adult and therefore responsible for your own destiny, yet (2) you are still young, and a couple of years in Taiwan isn’t going to kill you, even if you end up being drafted into the military. Nothing wrong with learning how to shoot straight. You have all the time in the world to settle into a boring, unproductive live back in Canada. Make a plan for eventual independence (say, 18-24 months down the line) and then make it happen.
It’s just a thought (and I’m certainly not suggesting you pursue it) but since you are an adult, and you are being kept here against your will, your parents have technically kidnapped you, which is a serious offence in most countries. Probably not in Taiwan though.
Dad might be just trying to keep his boy off the street and out of jail. Who knows? There’s no background information. I’d like to hear dad’s side of the argument.
Absolutely … but unfortunately we’ve only got one side of the story, and dad obviously isn’t helping his case by freaking out (assuming the OP is reporting the facts accurately). Teenagers eh, what do you do with 'em.
I have no record, I never ever drink, I don’t smoke and the people I hung out with back in Canada were harmless. My father left for Taiwan like 5 years ago and since then he visited Canada only twice a year. The only memories from before then were when he beat me with a stick. Then again he is an Asian parent.
But that being said. You are 18, and yes it will be nice to get going on college and I think your dad should let you go to college so you can get that over with posthaste. Maybe there are other reasons. Maybe you can take this as a golden opportunity to learn something new about life in general by living in Taiwan. A whole new universe from the one you know.