I only came because my company made me an (financial) offer that I couldn’t refuse. Other than that, I would not choose to live in Taiwan under normal circumstances. Too many other beautiful amazing places in this world.
Gain, our experiences regarding parents choosing their child’s major differs considerably. I have a feeling your classmates are embarrassed to tell you about it. And why don’t they have a clue about what they want to study in uni? Because they have been drowning in quizzes, tests, and buxibans and their parents fill out every minute of their lives with school-related stuff to do. Furthermore, and I’d be surprised if you never heard about this, but many high school teachers and parents tell their children that when they get to university it is a “4-year holiday” and they can take a big, long, well-deserved break. This helps explain the apathy in uni classrooms. I have asked professors from other departments about this (being quiet, silent in class) and they told me it’s normal, which tells me they experience it too in non-English courses. By the time students reach Junior year they tend to open up a bit more, but Freshman, which is mostly what I teach, are very quiet in class. It’s bizarre.
So high schoolers in other countries all know what they want to study in uni/what to do with their lives before they even turn 18? I highly doubt that.
I think I know my classmates and friends better than you do. I believe that they chose what they wanted, or did not have a clue then went for the token option.
And I don’t think the apathy in uni classrooms is worse in Taiwan than in say, the Netherlands. Obviously it differs from school to school, programme to programme, faculty to faculty, but in the better ones, I don’t find the students any worse. Plenty of European students skip classes, oversleep, are always on their digital devices during lectures as well, and they drink and use drugs wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more than Taiwanese students. A lot of them are always drunk or high, and it’s not just during Erasmus. They were like that back home as well according to themselves.
Finally I think it’s normal for freshmen to be shy. Maybe that’s not the case in where you’re from, but to me it’s the furthest thing from bizzare.
I don’t know what the unis are like in the Netherlands, but I have taught in a university in the USA and there is no comparison --Taiwan’s students are far more apathetic. They seem to me to have been burned out by high school (who wouldn’t if they survived this island’s education system) and they just want to rest and play. I don’t blame them for that. But “shy” at 18? I can see shy at 13 or 14, but 18 and 19? And to have a language course where the students are silent is bizarre. Lastly, there is a big difference between not knowing what you want to do and having your parents decide for you.
Ok so my experience is totally different from yours. I honestly find my schoolmates annoyingly active, some are always busy filling up their schedule with club activities or stupid random events, some are always studying and are extremely aggressive and demanding during lectures/seminars. Maybe at your school(s) the students are all zombies. Let’s just agree to disagree.
I don’t see how it is bizarre to be shy when you’re 18. It’s an awkward age, and the environment is completely new in comparison to what you’re used to just a few months ago. Maybe the primary and secondary education is at fault here, Idk, personally I think it’s totally normal and I hate it when some people are overly excited about everything.
And it even makes more sense during a language course as not everyone is comfortable speaking an unfamiliar language.
Finally you’re overestimating the powers of Taiwanese parents. Yes there are lots of extremely controlling parents, I know some of those and yes their kids are miserable, but I know way more people whose parents are nothing like what you described, or they are, but the kids never buy their shit.
Oh, I was wondering about that. If a foreigner teaches Latin, is a Holy See passport required? (Since there aren’t any other countries where it’s “native”…)
Lol no. He’s Canadian.
You don’t have to be native to teach Latin, you just have to be good at it, I s’ppose. Besides I don’t think any bishop in the Vatican City proper is native to Latin… they are all from different countries, such as Italy or Poland or Argentina etc.
Oh yes, I know. It’s just about the work permit thing. Also wondering about ancient languages like, say, Sumerian…
lol, sanchez. you better leave asap before you burst a blood vessel!
no gibbons, only macaques! what a shit hole!
people play music while hiking! what hell do you call this?!
local taiwanese cuisine is bland! (even though basically every restaurant has some chilli sauce on the table) and they don’t cook western food the same(cus the chinese food back home was never altered for locals tastes either)
Pretty sure they just want to avoid giving citizenships to citizens of “lower ranking” countries like the Philippines. Doubt they’re purely discriminating against relatively rich whiteys who are low in number compared to those from south east asia.
Thank you for your concerns about my reading abilities - they are just fine. If you reread your first post (the one I was commenting on), you’ll notice you didn’t say anything about leaving Taiwan. But I am glad for you that you’re on your way out, it sounds like you’re really not having a good time here.
Ah yes, please tell me how me enjoying myself exploring the amazing mountains in Taiwan makes me lesser person.
Sorry, I’d forgotten that only hornbills qualify as flamboyant birds. Lesson learnt: birds in Taiwan are pointless and bland (like the food), I will stop appreciating them.
And? I didn’t say they were. Do you only enjoy things if you cannot find them anywhere else in the world? If they’re cool in Thailand, they’re cool here too.
I’m happy in Taiwan, and you’re not. I’m not telling you to love this place. Don’t belittle me for not hating it.
No problem.
But you’re going to need to bring me super_lucky’s prosthetic leg.
On point. "let ugly people die"lol . In NY it’s followed by “let ugly rude people die” .
Taiwan is a fairly attractive destination for millions of foreigners. Higher earnings and political stability. I say “fairly” because human rights and treatment of foreign laborers has a long way to go. Filipino workers in Canada for example have demanded citizenship.
There aren’t millions of foreigners here. There’s only, what, 24 million Taiwanese.
Australia US UK attractive destinations for BILLIONS of people doesn’t mean BILLIONS actually live there.
Also, I think if you look at the numbers yes easily tens of millions of foreigners have lived in Taiwan over the last few decades.
I am from New Zealand and there are countless incidents of drunk driving and road deaths. New Zealand also has extremely high rates of suicide. Your post reeks of racism.
How is it racist pointing out that road conditions in Taiwan are awful? There are few countries in the world worse than Taiwan when it comes to kids and roads. India, Indonesia, and so on…
Now you bring up suicide?
[quote=“Black_Beauty, post:57, topic:155194”]
Your post reeks of racism.[/quote]
I got the impression that Gain is Taiwanese:
[quote=“Gain, post:4, topic:88433”]
I’m Taiwanese. . . .[/quote]