best of luck - at least the weather is better at your end.
He’s going to NZ, not Australia.
All the bestest Boss Hogg.
HG
All the best to you and your family. Be well.
BR,
=YC
Hey, I’m just seeing this now.
I wish you good fortune on your return to NZ. I’m glad that someone actually took something positive from the stuff I’ve posted.
As you know, we started out on rocky footing, and sparred along the way for a while… But, over time I came to respect you very much, and to appreciate your perspective.
I have always wanted to visit NZ, and I am certain that I will do so in the next several years. By then you will be settled back in to NZ life. If you are still posting here then, I will let you know when I am traveling to NZ and I’m sure we can meet up there. I’ll look forward to that.
Peace.
[quote]But, over time I came to respect you very much, and to appreciate your perspective.
I have always wanted to visit NZ, and I am certain that I will do so in the next several years[/quote]
Bassman, allow me to translate:
“I would prefer beige walls in your guest room. Sheets should be high quality cotton and the ensuite bathroom should be in avocado.
For breakfast I prefer two slices of wholewheat toast, freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee and perhaps a little seasonal local fruit. I look forward to seeing you very soon. Will two months be too short a time for a visit?”
I’m coming the week after Tigerman and I think Irishstu and the chief are coming after that.
Won’t it be great!
[quote=“sandman”]Bassman, allow me to translate:
“I would prefer beige walls in your guest room. Sheets should be high quality cotton and the ensuite bathroom should be in avocado.
For breakfast I prefer two slices of wholewheat toast, freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee and perhaps a little seasonal local fruit. I look forward to seeing you very soon. Will two months be too short a time for a visit?”
I’m coming the week after Tigerman and I think Irishstu and the chief are coming after that.
Won’t it be great![/quote]
Actually, I’m keen to rent a camper and gypsy around NZ for a couple of weeks.
Well here goes…
We left Taiwan on Feb 5. EVA was an hour late in flying while waiting for some Euro backpackers. I knew then that things were going to be a bit of a challenge. They boys, 4years and 9 months old, hardly slept a wink on the 11 hour flight, much to the delight of exhausted parents.
We arrived in Auckland, missed our connecting flight to Christchurch… Thanks EVA. Then the drama began. NEVER use any taxi service at Auckland International Airport… We needed to get to the domestic terminal in a hurry with a crap load of baggage. Went to the shuttle service and were ‘referred’ to a taxi. The taxi driver wouldn’t take us because the shuttle referred us, then the shuttle driver refused our fare. Seems they don’t like waiting for hours for short distance fares. Then the taxi drivers got into a push and shove over not taking us. Grief!!! I walked to the back of the taxi line and found a Van there with an old dirver, gave him $20NZ to take us, and he did so. It was then that I knew that NZ had changed and it wasn’t just me. Couldn’t believe how rude people can be. I wanted to turn around right there and then and go back to Taiwan where people may stare, but they’re lower on the ‘asshole’ scale than an average Auckland taxi driver.
In Christchurch another delight awaited us… lost baggage.
Ok, that is enough of the reverse culture shock bitching… it’s actually quite funny thinking about it now.
The interviews have begun and it looks like I’ll be working for the Business Solutions Team for Telecom NZ. Did well in the testing with a 98% pass rate… I know, by Taiwan standards I should be ashamed
Immigration for the wife is the next big challenge.
The funny thing is… adjusting to the food in NZ is a HUGE challenge for both me and the Mrs. Never thought that I’d crave Taiwan food.
I was really shocked to be ‘homesick’ for Taiwan. It was a very emotionally draining experience getting in the car to go to the airport.
Anyway, I am using a library computer to do this update… have to wait a couple more weeks to get connected and buy a computer. Then I’ll be back on the ‘mosa’ posting away like I never left 
[quote=“sandman”][quote]But, over time I came to respect you very much, and to appreciate your perspective.
I have always wanted to visit NZ, and I am certain that I will do so in the next several years[/quote]
Bassman, allow me to translate:
“I would prefer beige walls in your guest room. Sheets should be high quality cotton and the ensuite bathroom should be in avocado.
For breakfast I prefer two slices of wholewheat toast, freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee and perhaps a little seasonal local fruit. I look forward to seeing you very soon. Will two months be too short a time for a visit?”
I’m coming the week after Tigerman and I think Irishstu and the chief are coming after that.
Won’t it be great![/quote]
Great to see you Taiwanese folk anytime. 
Bassman,
I hope you’ll soon shrug off the reverse culture shock and settle comfortably into your new lives. Good luck with landing that job, which sounds highly promising.
What kind of reception have the wife and kids been encountering from the locals? Have the neighbours been friendly and welcoming or snotty and standoffish?
bassman
went through the immigration with my wife (for oz though)… if you need any tips, advice or just somewhere to vent enivitable frustrations - PM me.
Dear Bassman,
Sounds like a rough start - however you will settle in. suddenly you will find that your Taiwan life fades away, becomes more like a dream, a bit unreal, something you might have starred in once, collected your paycheck, adn then walked away from.
It takes a few months to get completely back for you, and may take a lifetime for the missus.
Good luck.
Bassman wrote
“Never thought that I’d crave Taiwan food”
Assuming you went back to Chch, there is a Taiwanese food store on Hereford Street just west of Colombo…All the Taiwan brands at 5 times the Taiwan prices.
Well, this is a blast from the past and may feel a little strange to add to after all this time. Didn’t want to start a new thread so I’ll update here.
So, what is the happs since being back in NZ for 3 years now?
Working for Gen-i NZ an ICT company owned by the largest Telecommunications company as a Senior Technical Analyst mostly doing transition projects. That means I get to bring in new things, move in new work, and be an ideas man again. It’s great and the money isn’t bad either - much better than in Taiwan, well it would be if it wasn’t for higher tax and cost of living. The work ethic that I developed in Taiwan has proved useful in NZ and given me an edge and a fantastic reputation in the business.
Kids are doing really well and adjusted to kiwi life and they speak both Mandarin and English well. They are really happy and enjoy life in NZ and the real childhood that it gives them that the pressure of Taiwan wouldn’t give as much.
My wife is doing awesome selling Taiwanese food, ba wan (meat balls), cakes, bread, and loads of other goodies.
I play Bass again - playing for the Christchurch Chinese Church.
I don’t really get much of a chance to speak Chinese anymore, but enjoy every chance I get outside of home.
Still think of Taiwan as a second home and at times still get second home homesick. The pace of life and the people of Taiwan make it a very special place. I am so lucky that we have many Taiwanese friends in NZ and this makes for the best of both worlds.
My experience in Taiwan certainly enabled me to be more successful in New Zealand and gave me a broader outlook than I had before living in Taiwan. I came back to NZ with the attitude that if I could do what I did in Taiwan then I could achieve whatever I put my mind to in NZ. This has proved to be true.
Make the most of your time in Taiwan and take every opportunity that you can to stretch yourself and grow as a person. Take in as many new experiences and learn as many things as you can. When people ask you to give something a try, unless it’s going to kill you or wrong, try it - even if you don’t think you’ll like it, you just may find that it’s the best thing you ever did. Learn the language and the culture and understand the people and not just what they say, but really understand them - when you go home you’ll never look at people quite the same way. Don’t try to change the country, change yourself or learn to get along despite the things that drive you crazy. Relax, things can change in a heartbeat and the things that you stress about today will seem insignificant tomorrow. Be proactive, be a changer and if you aren’t somewhere that will allow you to be that, find somewhere new.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THOUGH is to LISTEN. Listen to those on Forumosa who have been around for a while but aren’t all bitter. Listen to those who have made a life in Taiwan and not just existed. Listen to those that don’t just complain but actually do something. There are more than a few of them on the 'mosa. I listened, I did, it changed the way I lived in Taiwan more than I think those who talked and wrote will ever know and made the experiences that are still being used in my life today. Get around people that you want to be like and ask questions. Try to do something that will last long beyond however long you are in Taiwan - I did and I find it encouraging that even 3 years later what I built is still going and growing. I have applied all of this to what I do now in New Zealand and have built some of the most successful projects in my part of the business and although I have learned much in NZ I put a lot of the success down to living this way in Taiwan even though at first it feels harder to do in Taiwan. I only have one regret, and that is not living this way earlier on in Taiwan and starting out being an arrogant and argumentative poster just for the heck of it out of frustration. Some of the most useful and most helpful relationships on the 'mosa could have come along much earlier and made for an even more worthwhile experience.
Big ups to all you that made a difference, you know who you are. I don’t visit the 'mosa much anymore, but let’s just say the 'mosa is never forgotten.
Good to hear, Bassman. Glad all is well.
I am happy to hear that all is well, and I agree to all you have written about what you can take with you away from Taiwan.
All the best in NZ.
Glad to hear you and your family are doing well, Bassman. You have some good words of advice for others there, too.
All the best!
Excellent post and advice. :bravo:
Glad to hear things are going so well, especially for your kids. That’s the one area that really bothers me regarding my son and the future in Taiwan.
Good to see you all happy and thriving!
Congratulations!
It’s always good to hear a success story from someone that deserves it.