I’m a taiwanese. I don’t want to see thing by our point of view. If you are a foreign, please honestly tell me, do you like taiwan? If yes, which part do you like? If no, which part do you hate?
I really really hate that little bit that looks kind of like a festering carbuncle.
Orpheus_lin -
I strongly suggest you remove you tele #'s from your ‘signature’ section.
Just friendly advice.
Unless you are advertising for some type of service.
Just a suggestion.
damn, i missed the event by an hour.
was it good?
[quote=“orpheus_lin”]I’m a Taiwanese. I don’t want to see thing by our point of view. If you are a foreign, please honestly tell me, do you like taiwan? If yes, which part do you like? If no, which part do you hate?[/quote]Look at some of the threads about the total lack of law enforcement and people getting run over. Or the threads on animal abuse.
Or threads were people don’t gasp the concept of red light, orange light, green light … sometimes it turns out deadly if you don’t get this basic element of traffic rules …
the mountains are lovely. there’s less people there though, which helps. and i love my wife of course. (she made me say that).
and the butterflies and the birds are stunning too, and the frogs. and the little old temples tucked into the hillsides. lots of things.
but most parts of the cities suck.
And yet here we all stay.
I heart on Taiwan.
Generally speaking the place frustrates the hell out of me. My family is here though, so what can I say. I wouldn’t miss the people that much. That’s for sure.
I used to really enjoy it, but as I told my husband today, my love affair with Taiwan is pretty much over. It’s difficult to keep loving a place when the inhabitants work so hard at making it ugly.
For me it is a love/hate thing.
I hate your cities and complete lack of urban planning.
I love your mountain areas and mostly your mountain streams for kayaking and riverboarding.
I hate the ftards that have to throw their bian-dung boxes in said streams. Is it too f-ing hard to carry an extra bag to throw your trash in.
I love your ocean and the beach.
I hate that I have to wade in shit-water, literally raw sewage effulent, to get to said beach.
I hate that your g-ment would approve a large hotel project at the same beach. Dumping more shit-water into the only swimming beach in Taidong County.
OP, your people were blessed with a beautiful country, hope your next generation (my son included) ,can do better to keep it that way.
It’s certainly not perfect, but I like living here much more than in Canada.
The weather is better here, the mountains are nice, taxes are low, crime is low, most people are less obnoxious(generally speaking) and concepts like face and self-respect are trendier here. No welfare cases here… people recycle bottles instead of eating up tax dollars for sitting on their asses and watching television.
Many of the people here are really nice. My girlfriend’s family is awesome. My local friends are great, too. The women are thinner and care more about their looks, in general, than Canadian women do. Some of the women here have crappy teeth, but as far as women are concerned, that’s the only area in which Taiwan loses.
On the downside, the polution here is pretty bad sometimes. But at least the mountains and the ocean aren’t that far away from the cities. Traffic is bad but the lack of respect for laws is appealing to me since I enjoy driving really fast on highways and I love that all I need to avoid a speeding ticket is a good radar detector(something which is illegal in Canada!).
The nature here is great, the food is great (a lot more convenient, cheaper and better tasting than in USA) and I’ve met some great people out here-both local and foreigners.
Bad—Fashion is HORRIBLE-worst fashion sense on the planet and I always say that Taiwanese clothes are like a cross between Japanese fashion and Walmart. I’m not even that into fashion but I see some of the clothes here and I cringe because it’s so ugly.
----Cities=bad
---- Nightlife= are Djs ever gonna try and get creative with music here instead of just trying to make the music mix well
---- Education system and overall general of raising children here- Sending kids to school from 8AM - 8PM really just for face not actual work. Parents bragging about themselves through their kids-do it in US but here more common I think.
LOL thanks for creating a thread which I can rant on…
low crime rate - but have never seen stats to back this up. Have not been a victim of crime here. Seen a number of victims after traffic accidents
good health system - but government is borrowing money to support this
Nice mountain areas/beaches - Many locals do not seem to give a crap about the place. Beauty here is in spite of people not because of them
Stressful environment, people always blocking you, cutting across you, getting in the way - therefore good health system needed
Total lack of civic duty/responsibility + respect for the law - does my head in
Education system - not sure its education by my definition of the word
What I like
- Very safe country
- Convenient
- Great mountains and still some great wildlife
- Different culture, learn different things
- Small country therefore people more modest
- Food is good, cheap and varied
- Warm weather most of the time
- Can do attitude for setting up business
- Work very hard, I admire that
What I don’t like
- People don’t love their own neighbourhood, city or country. They don’t have any neighbourhood feeling. That’s really a big problem to improving the place. Don’t know how to organise themselves to get something better. People way too selfish.
- No pavements in cities to walk on but lots of highways/expressways. Almost complete lack of environmentalism that makes China look good sometimes
- People wanting to emigrate when they retire instead of improving the country they live in most of their lives
- Too many scooters and vehicles (I have one too though)
- Dirty stinking rivers
- Wages too low and business owners don’t share profits with staff. No way to make money from salary, almost all money comes from parents generation, therefore adult children not independent
Cha bu doah
Orpheus: Most of the people on this website have been in Taiwan for a long time. That means, they love your country. But, because the Western idea of what is funny is a bit strange, they won’t tell you on the Internet. That is, they say they love Taiwan all day in real life, so at night when they go on this website they want to complain! Really!
Anyway, most westerners, including me, really like the Taiwanese for being very friendly to westerners. They also think that the Taiwanese are very loyal to their friends and family, and are very hard working and open minded - in a way. That is, they want to know more than they do. Taiwanese really want to get better. We respect that.
The bad things are: WHY THE FUCK CAN’T YOU GUYS LEARN HOW TO DRIVE??? SHIT!!!
and…
PLEASE DON’T SAY “OK, NO PROBLEM” UNLESS YOU REALLY FEEL “OK, NO PROBLEM.”
But that is just one Western guy’s idea. This is your country! Thanks for your hospitality.
BTW, it’s not a good idea to put your phone number or email on an open forum.
I hate it when people ask me if I like Taiwan after having lived here for 20 years.
The parts of Taiwan like are fortunately too far away for most people to come and visit.
Suits me fine.
The good:
[ul]
lush, green mountains
nice hikes
a beach where my dogs can run without ever seeing a human soul
a job that pays surprisingly well
economic independence
my dogs (who were rescued here)
being able to go anywhere anytime in relative safety
Confucian ethic toward elders (respect/deference)
the Taiwanese friendliness (generally speaking)
convenience and cornerside tea shops everywhere
being able to do my own thing, just because I’m a foreigner
mozzie zapping tennis raquet thingies
easy-to-clean floors
the very efficient medical system
mild Taiwanese winters
good-quality, inexpensive, locally-made electronics
night markets[/ul]
The bad:
[ul]the lack of rubbish bins, resulting in littering
scooter punks
that awful CC LEMON ad
people keeping dogs/cats in cages
the way parents treat their kids (no manners and no real playtime) though i guess this is why I have the job in the "good " section
strangers touching children
the lack of manners in children
the general lack of planning and foresight
those nasty speaker trucks
the lack of privacy, especially in the very efficient medical system
the dust, the infernal dust
poor quality locally-made electronics
FACE[/ul]
The ugly:
[ul] not-so-mild Taiwanese summers
Confucian ethic toward “subordinates” (bully anyone less powerful than yourself)
treatment of animals in general
the frequency and acceptance of domestic abuse
the freakin’ mosquitoes
violent, wannabe gangsta punks
the blocking of major roadways for things like funerals/weddings, etc. Go to the freakin’ park! Everyone will see you there, too!
the driving. the horrible, unaware, obnoxious, pushy drivers! (especially those with Merc, BMWs or, oddly, Mitsubishis and Suzukis)
the fact that anyone was able to dump my dogs. They’re great dogs! Your loss! :raspberry:
[/ul]
Great post, Clint.