Here’s a start: “Qing wen. Dao Donghai bieshu zenmo zou?”
Have you tried visiting a temple yet? They’re WEIRD! But very cultureful. Just PM me if you need any help with stuff like cellphone accounts or visa problems or stuff. I’ve been here nearly 4 months and know my way around pretty good.
Welcome Sandman and Poagao! Don’t do it Poagao, just assume they’re talking about how handsome you are. 
[quote=“Indiana”]I have lived in a number of countries on 5 different continents, and Taiwan was the least livable place of everywhere I have lived…and I have lived in some heavily poverty-striken places! I saw Taiwan as less of a comfort zone than anywhere for various reasons…but mostly because of how entirely unhealthy of a place it is to live in, from the food you eat to the air you breathe to the water you bathe in. Not to mention how unhealthy it can be in terms of the high stress that many foreigners feel, just from every day living experiences. I mean, how many people do you know have sleeping problems and back pain? Most of my friends who were living in Taiwan started having trouble with both when they moved there.
Even the least developed countries in sub-Saharan Africa are much more pleasant to live in, IMO.[/quote]
Different strokes for different folks. I dislike the noise and traffic of Taiwan, but still sleep well, rarely feel stressed, and I find Taipei a very livable big city.
I’ve been to most of the countries in Africa, and I wouldn’t mind living in Malawi, South Africa, Ghana, Uganda or Kenya for a year or so. Zimbabwe used to be very livable; not anymore. It might be hard to find good work and good schools for my family in Africa.
I guess when I think of livable, I think of spending years, perhaps decades . . . working, maybe even raising kids . . . I didn’t find a lot of places in Sub-Saharan Africa that were as livable as Taiwan for extended periods of time. OK . . . just Capetown, and that’s as SUB-Sub-Sahara as it gets.
I really don’t think of Taiwan as unhealthy, especially when compared to Africa. What are your odds of living a year in Sub-Saharan Africa and NOT getting a case of malaria or something worse? Are you really complaining about the water you bathe in in Taiwan? Is it really so unsafe? I mean compared to poverty-striken areas of Africa? And how about the general safety and health care? I’d say this is a strength of Taiwan’s. What country in Africa has a life expectancy that approaches Taiwan’s? What cities in Africa are as safe as Taipei? My wife safely walks the streets of Taiwan day or night. And if you can’t find healthy food in Taiwan, I’d say you aren’t trying hard enough.
It sounds like you’ve got a great gig in the UAE, and, for sure, there are plenty of other parts of the world that are better suited to different people; I’m just wondering where in sub-Saharan Africa was most appealing to you? (AND) How about if you had a couple of elementary school children that you had to add in to the equation? Would you and your husband still be headed to Africa from Taiwan?
[quote=“Indiana”][quote=“Deuce Dropper”][quote=“thos123”]Deuce Dropper wrote:
If you can’t find your comfort zone in Taiwan you are not cut out to live overseas.
That is the bottom line
What an arrogant, idiotic statement to make. By your reckoning, if you’re not happy and absolutely delighted about living in Taiwan then you should go back to your home country!
Let me make a guess- this is your first big trip overseas and you’re still wearing your rose-tinted glasses (wow! this is so glamorous and exciting living here) or your smoking far too much of the green stuff you mentioned.[/quote]
Arrogant and idiotic describes your post.
arrogant in the fact you ass-u-me anything about me and idiotic in the sense you missed my point.
sorry your life sucks so bad, but it’s your fault, yes yours, and no one else is to blame.[/quote]
Deuce Dropper, just out of curiosity, what other countries have you lived in overseas?[/quote]
USA
Canada
Thailand
Korea
Taiwan
Welcome to Taiwan!
I’m sure you’re going to love it (once you get over a little bit of “culture shock”;))!
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or need help settling in.
And yes, it’s a pretty good idea to learn at least some Chinese.
It’s an even better way to get to know the fascinating local culture just a little better!
Good luck![/quote]
HAY, you stealed my post. Can I have my sweets back now?
[quote]Be not afeard: the isle is full of noises,
Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices,
That, if I then had wak’d after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open and show riches
Ready to drop upon me; that, when I wak’d,
I cried to dream again.
[/quote]
Come on, the OP is venting because he’s sad because he’s stuck somewhere he doesn’t like because of his kid. We’ve turned it into another super-exciting ‘Taiwan! Fab or crap?’ thread.
[quote=“zender”]Welcome Sandman and Poagao! Don’t do it Poagao, just assume they’re talking about how handsome you are.
[quote=“Indiana”]I have lived in a number of countries on 5 different continents, and Taiwan was the least livable place of everywhere I have lived…and I have lived in some heavily poverty-striken places! I saw Taiwan as less of a comfort zone than anywhere for various reasons…but mostly because of how entirely unhealthy of a place it is to live in, from the food you eat to the air you breathe to the water you bathe in. Not to mention how unhealthy it can be in terms of the high stress that many foreigners feel, just from every day living experiences. I mean, how many people do you know have sleeping problems and back pain? Most of my friends who were living in Taiwan started having trouble with both when they moved there.
Even the least developed countries in sub-Saharan Africa are much more pleasant to live in, IMO.[/quote]
Different strokes for different folks. I dislike the noise and traffic of Taiwan, but still sleep well, rarely feel stressed, and I find Taipei a very livable big city.
I’ve been to most of the countries in Africa, and I wouldn’t mind living in Malawi, South Africa, Ghana, Uganda or Kenya for a year or so. Zimbabwe used to be very livable; not anymore. It might be hard to find good work and good schools for my family in Africa.
I guess when I think of livable, I think of spending years, perhaps decades . . . working, maybe even raising kids . . . I didn’t find a lot of places in Sub-Saharan Africa that were as livable as Taiwan for extended periods of time. OK . . . just Capetown, and that’s as SUB-Sub-Sahara as it gets.
I really don’t think of Taiwan as unhealthy, especially when compared to Africa. What are your odds of living a year in Sub-Saharan Africa and NOT getting a case of malaria or something worse? Are you really complaining about the water you bathe in in Taiwan? Is it really so unsafe? I mean compared to poverty-striken areas of Africa? And how about the general safety and health care? I’d say this is a strength of Taiwan’s. What country in Africa has a life expectancy that approaches Taiwan’s? What cities in Africa are as safe as Taipei? My wife safely walks the streets of Taiwan day or night. And if you can’t find healthy food in Taiwan, I’d say you aren’t trying hard enough.
It sounds like you’ve got a great gig in the UAE, and, for sure, there are plenty of other parts of the world that are better suited to different people; I’m just wondering where in sub-Saharan Africa was most appealing to you? (AND) How about if you had a couple of elementary school children that you had to add in to the equation? Would you and your husband still be headed to Africa from Taiwan?[/quote]
All due respect, Zender, and I don’t know Indiana, IRL, but you should consider the fact that your experience in Africa may have been considerably different than hers, considering that you are of African-American descent. It’s probably a lot harder for a white person, which Indiana may or may not be, I don’t know.
[quote=“Deuce Dropper”][quote=“thos123”]Deuce Dropper wrote:
If you can’t find your comfort zone in Taiwan you are not cut out to live overseas.
That is the bottom line
What an arrogant, idiotic statement to make. By your reckoning, if you’re not happy and absolutely delighted about living in Taiwan then you should go back to your home country!
Let me make a guess- this is your first big trip overseas and you’re still wearing your rose-tinted glasses (wow! this is so glamorous and exciting living here) or your smoking far too much of the green stuff you mentioned.[/quote]
Arrogant and idiotic describes your post.
arrogant in the fact you ass-u-me anything about me and idiotic in the sense you missed my point.
sorry your life sucks so bad, but it’s your fault, yes yours, and no one else is to blame.[/quote]
Now your being a silly little boy and sounding rather ungracious because in a subsequent post I wished you well and said I was glad you had found contentment. As far as being arrogant for assuming (I guess that’s what you mean by ass-u-me) anything about you, well, perhaps I am a little guilty there. How about enlightening me by telling me where you’ve lived overseas before and for how long.
Finally, please tell me where in my post I complained that my life “sucks” ( I love your teenage-speak by the way) It doesn’t; I’m happy and I’m not blaming anyone for anything. “That is the bottom line.”
[quote=“thos123”][quote=“Deuce Dropper”][quote=“thos123”]Deuce Dropper wrote:
If you can’t find your comfort zone in Taiwan you are not cut out to live overseas.
That is the bottom line
What an arrogant, idiotic statement to make. By your reckoning, if you’re not happy and absolutely delighted about living in Taiwan then you should go back to your home country!
Let me make a guess- this is your first big trip overseas and you’re still wearing your rose-tinted glasses (wow! this is so glamorous and exciting living here) or your smoking far too much of the green stuff you mentioned.[/quote]
Arrogant and idiotic describes your post.
arrogant in the fact you ass-u-me anything about me and idiotic in the sense you missed my point.
sorry your life sucks so bad, but it’s your fault, yes yours, and no one else is to blame.[/quote]
Now your being a silly little boy and sounding rather ungracious because in a subsequent post I wished you well and said I was glad you had found contentment. As far as being arrogant for assuming (I guess that’s what you mean by ass-u-me) anything about you, well, perhaps I am a little guilty there. How about enlightening me by telling me where you’ve lived overseas before and for how long.
Finally, please tell me where in my post I complained that my life “sucks” ( I love your teenage-speak by the way) It doesn’t; I’m happy and I’m not blaming anyone for anything. “That is the bottom line.”[/quote]
Hey! We’re supposed to be blocking the reality here, not illustrating it.
(Deuce Dropper, you’re supposed to respond with “No, you!” And then the other bloke’s supposed to say “I’m rubber, you’re glue” or something, isn’t it? It’s been a while since I spent any time with little kids in the playground, so I’m sure you both have much more up-to-the-minute kiddy-squabbling vocab at your disposal. I’m just trying to help.
Block, shmock!
Reality, shmeality!
Supposed to, shmupposed to!
:serenade:
Are we (ALL) not son of slaves?
Yes, we are. Yes, we are
Hope it’s arrite if I sing along wid da chief in dis tread, too.
thos, 321, people who start fights with strangers on the internet have empty, shallow lives, dontcha know?
[quote=“thos123”][quote=“Deuce Dropper”][quote=“thos123”]Deuce Dropper wrote:
If you can’t find your comfort zone in Taiwan you are not cut out to live overseas.
That is the bottom line
What an arrogant, idiotic statement to make. By your reckoning, if you’re not happy and absolutely delighted about living in Taiwan then you should go back to your home country!
Let me make a guess- this is your first big trip overseas and you’re still wearing your rose-tinted glasses (wow! this is so glamorous and exciting living here) or your smoking far too much of the green stuff you mentioned.[/quote]
Arrogant and idiotic describes your post.
arrogant in the fact you ass-u-me anything about me and idiotic in the sense you missed my point.
sorry your life sucks so bad, but it’s your fault, yes yours, and no one else is to blame.[/quote]
Now your being a silly little boy and sounding rather ungracious because in a subsequent post I wished you well and said I was glad you had found contentment. As far as being arrogant for assuming (I guess that’s what you mean by ass-u-me) anything about you, well, perhaps I am a little guilty there. How about enlightening me by telling me where you’ve lived overseas before and for how long.
Finally, please tell me where in my post I complained that my life “sucks” ( I love your teenage-speak by the way) It doesn’t; I’m happy and I’m not blaming anyone for anything. “That is the bottom line.”[/quote]
OK, lets have it straight Mr. Backtracker. You basically sided with the opinion that ANYONE who enjoys Taiwan must be blocking out reality or living life looking through rose-coloured glasses.
To me this is commentary from someone who is very lifely-maladjusted (yeah, I used life as an adjective, simply because the English language hasn’t given me a word to illustrate how ridiculous your point of view is).
How do I know you are maladjusted? well I don’t know you, but the fact that you feel so strongly about this makes me think you are.
I have been on this island for over a decade, and I have a ton of anecdotal evidence directly opposing what you feel. I know tons of people who are very happy, very successful and are enjoying life much more than they would back home.
As I said before, Taiwan is what you make it.
Yet you think ANYONE who enjoys life here is blocking out reality.
the fuck outta here!
[quote=“Deuce Dropper”]
the fuck outta here![/quote]
Oh NOOO! You just broke Intarweb handbag fight rule number 7: NEVER end a post “I’m outta here” or any derivitive thereof. Because now that other twat will be able to get the last word, and make you look even more stupid, and there will be NOTHING you can do about it except seethe silently while everybody else laughs at you. Unless you respond, which will mean you’re CONTRADICTING your earlier post, which makes you look even more stupid.
Its a cruel conundrum to be sure.
Deuce? Try to take it easy on the guy. He’s obviously under a lot of stress and didn’t come here of his own volition.
Yes!
Taiwan is neither totally fab or crap. If I had to travel to the other side of the world to get a little peek at my darling two-year-old child, and if I had to wait for months on end for a court case to try to gain custody or visitation rights, I’d be in a pretty foul mood.
So, page 171, I hope you are able to make the best of your time in Taiwan. Good luck to you and your son.
Getting in the last word is for losers. I hate being the last person in a thread.
So, help me out here, people.
And . . . GO!
[quote=“sandman”][quote=“Deuce Dropper”]
the fuck outta here![/quote]
Oh NOOO! You just broke Intarweb handbag fight rule number 7: NEVER end a post “I’m outta here” or any derivitive thereof. Because now that other twat will be able to get the last word, and make you look even more stupid, and there will be NOTHING you can do about it except seethe silently while everybody else laughs at you. Unless you respond, which will mean you’re CONTRADICTING your earlier post, which makes you look even more stupid.
Its a cruel conundrum to be sure.[/quote]
My time in Taiwan has taught me to block out reality
‘the fuck outta here’
is actually just short for: ‘get the fuck out of here!’ (said with an Andrew Dice Clay voice it is a nice complimentary closing)
I’d like to believe that I’m not going to end up being one of those old guys who wander around the MRT stations yelling at nobody in particular, but I know the reality will be different.
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At least you’ll have your health and be out there meeting people.
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A peon is a lootmon. WTF do you know?
To the OP, explain how Taiwan got that kid of yours made? Your frustration is with your situation. Lashing out at the failings of Taiwan is natural but fruitlessly futile. You need to make a series of steps designed to give you, the kid, and it’s mum the best chances of long term happiness. Moaning that a pregnant friend can’t swim is really just silly. You have a child, you need to start sucking things up.
I have some superfluous arse. Any Shylocks out there want some?
I use dark curtains and triple glazing to block out the reality of the 'wan from my bedroom. Works OK for me.