sorry to ask, but how can i get free food in taipei, specifically zhongzheng (closest to chiang shek memorial hall)
i’m out of money and food right now due to some unfortunate circumstances
also i don’t eat meat except fish, i hope this is fine
i hope the answers will be kind and understanding, let me know if any more information is needed and i’ll answer anything i can
by the way i’ve tried to find info on these places:
most are very far to walk to from where i live and i don’t even know if i will be eligible to get food if i go to them
thanks for your reply
legal status: tourist (here until the end of august)
i’ve definitely wondered about that, and a family member did say the adventist church will always be willing to help me, but i don’t know where to find them, i’ve seen a couple churches but not any within a couple km so i wouldn’t know how to find them intentionally or what they’re even called
i guess the goal is next time i go outside and get lost and see a church i’ll go inside if it’s open, though i usually am outside during night time…
[thankfully, my friend paid back some of the money i lent to him a while back so i should be alright for at least two weeks or so but that was a close call that i don’t want to slip near again… it’s like my body’s ability to metabolize oxygen was shutting down]
Agree with this, not a good holiday here if you have no money to eat. If really bad go to your gov’s embassy (or what ever it may be called) to see if they can help.
well, the problem is, i don’t really have a home, i’m functionally (though not legally) stateless
my situation is a bit complicated but i’m basically only here because i can only stay in japan for 3 months at a time as a tourist, so i have to leave to nearby countries before i can come back, and this was the cheapest place to go to… i’m technically a U.S. citizen but i don’t have my own place there and it’s even more expensive to live there than here
thanks, unfortunately even the US embassy would be a 3 hour walk from here, though
and as i said in my reply to UnderArmor it’s technically not a holiday for me and I’m definitely not actually “touring”, it’s just my technical legal status here but if i could explain my true/literal status, it’s that i’m “waiting” here until i can go back to japan
It’s more expensive to live in Japan than Taiwan? I don’t think that’s the case.
Anyway, what you’re doing isn’t a good idea. You’re not technically a U.S. citizen. You are a U.S. Citizen. Contact AIT for assistance in going back to the U.S.
no no, I’m saying it’s more expensive to live in the U.S. which is why I’m not going back (and because I have goals and things to do in Japan)
I also intend to relinquish my U.S. citizenship as soon as possible, only thing is I have to figure out how I can become stateless and still be able to go to Japan
I’ve tried for the past two years, but there aren’t many ways around it unfortunately
what I’m doing may be a bad idea but it’s the best I’ve got, most other ideas are far worse than this… I don’t have a degree or anything so yeah, eligibility for a work visa in almost any country is low to impossible
and I’ll add that I’ve only gotten as far as I have in my journey because of the choice to take this route
Then go back to the U.S. and live in a low cost of living area. It’ll be cheaper than Japan or Taiwan. Sorry to make a big deal about this but you’re making the wrong choices here.
Japan is still cheaper than the low cost of living areas in the U.S though… (at a higher quality too, both of living and food)
and if I do what you say and live in the U.S. I won’t be able to achieve any of my main goals in life
At least with the way I’ve been doing it so far, I’ve been able to achieve a lot and I’m doing things that just wouldn’t have been possible if I stayed in the U.S.
In fact, I can almost guarantee that I would already be dead right now if I stayed in the U.S. and I can fully guarantee would’ve run out of money much sooner than now (it’s been almost a year)
Go on Facebook and write in groups of foreigners in Taiwan/Taipei and English learning groups that you are happy to give English lessons in exchange for an invitation to a meat-free dinner. Tell them that you are a native speaker and that you love to communicate in English but unfortunately you have run out of money and require some support in getting food.
In terms of Japan: we can only speculate about your goals there, but be clear with yourself in that many goals might require you to have a proper visa for Japan. As others have mentioned, you do not have the right to work in Japan or Taiwan, but you have the right to reside and work in the USA. Salaries are high in USA and you can certainly find a job and get some good pay. You can then even think about what you have to do to go to Japan and live your dream (whatever it might be).
Another option: Workaway. Check for monastery stays and other work for shelter and food programs there.
If not, go to school in Japan to learn, it does not cost much and you can (maybe)work part time. I guess you can get some kind of study visa.
Or maybe work in California, wages are NT650 per hour for fast food, save up.
or as others said teach English for food in Taiwan. Use your USA looks to get peoples attention, my Japanese looks gets Taiwanese attention.
I don’t think Taiwan (especially Taipei) was the best choice for this, even if the flights from Japan were cheaper. I’m not sure why you needed 2+ months for a visa run, but spending so long here was always going to be fairly expensive.
I think you’d have been better off going to northern Thailand or something (much cheaper for day-to-day expenses). Anyway, coming here as a tourist without the means to support yourself is kind of… suboptimal. Whatever schemes exist in Taiwan, I suspect they’re largely intended to cater to local people in need.
Might be worth looking for online/remote work to avoid this sort of situation in the future.
Food banks don’t exist in Taiwan that I know of unless you qualify under whatever social programs they have for low income status, and as a tourist you won’t qualify. Some restaurants may offer free food to those in need. I don’t know much about how that works.
