Are we here just to make quick buck or the experience or both? I know many of us have been here for years and have made a life for ourselves while here. A life we may not have been able to enjoy in our native country. I think what I am asking is why are we here? Don’t get me wrong I am LOVI’N EVERY MINUTE OF IT. I just want to know everyone else’s thoughts on this one.
Some one put it this way back in the days of Oriented: “The pickin’s is good.” but that person is no longer around I presume.
Stare said:[quote]I know many of us have been here for years and have made a life for ourselves while here. A life we may not have been able to enjoy in our native country[/quote]
After reading many posts on this site, I learned that many “foreiners” have been here for years. I’ll be arriving in the country to teach in two weeks, and my intention is strictly to work hard and save some money. My limit is two years, which is set so that I don’t skip a generation of Western working skills and experience by the time I return home.
Furthermore, I realize that one’s financial or personal goal upon beginning this quest is challenged and may even change once the Taiwan experience is embraced. Therefore, I am interested in knowing, to what extent has the percieved goal of comming to Taiwan changed, and is that change related to staying in this country longer than originally planned?
Me, I’m primarily here to get my Chinese skills up to conversational fluency at least, get some new clients, and have a bit of fun, and I’ll be here at least as long as that first on the list takes. I’m expecting about 2 years total, but I’m open to longer.
I came here pretty much without a home so there was never any question about ‘going back’. I’m always confused when people ask me when I intend to ‘go back’ precisely for this reason. I’ve been here for over three years and have no immediate plans to leave. I’m not really sure where I’d go.
I don’t mean this in a condescending or critical way at all, but if those are your only intentions you will likely hate it here. The daily stresses of life here are such that they cannot be offset or placated by a fat savings account. Taiwan is a fabulous place when you get out and explore. It is backward, illogical, frustrating, and pointless when you are do not.
If you do nothing but work you will have a poor social life, few friends, and thus either feel lonely or compelled to drink your weekends away with other unhappy foreigners who will forget you as soon as you’re gone. This will only compound feelings that you are wasting your time here.
If you do nothing but work you will grow fatter, pastier, and lethargic. You will eat crappy fast food and breathe nothing but dirty city air. After two years, you will hate your body and again, wonder if it was worth it to lose so much skin tone for money.
You need a secondary reason to come and live here. It can be anything. You want to get in great shape (possible with all the gyms and mountains around). You want to learn Chinese cooking. You want to study chinese art (doesn’t have to be at a university, we have the greatest collection of Chinese art in the world here). You want to study temples and the rich religious culture of the people here.
Hell, your reason can also just be you want to come to another country and have fun. Go to nightclubs and KTV’s. Hang out at the beach on the weekends. Swim in mountain streams and explore the gorgeous offshore islands.
You better find something about this place that excites you or you are going to be very miserable.
I’m here to work and save money to pay off debts and for the experience of living in a foreign country. I’ve been here a year and 1/2 and plan on staying another year. Only 1 more year I swear 
Only one more year===I said it 3 times in 3 years,HA HA HA.
I arrived here on the 1st of April 2004, and I have been telling myself that I will not stay here longer than 4 years. Although, I am starting to fall in love with the people and the life of Taiwan. So this number may change. Originally I wanted to save money to take home and start a business for myself. Now I don’t know what I will do, I think I can get used to this.
If you do nothing but work you will have a poor social life, few friends, and thus either feel lonely or compelled to drink your weekends away with other unhappy foreigners who will forget you as soon as you’re gone. This will only compound feelings that you are wasting your time here.
[/quote]
You seem to be describing my experience. Except I seldom if ever drink in Taiwan. Who has time for anything other than work? When you leave the house at 730 and don’t return until 7 in the evening where is the time for a social life?
One must make a very conscious effort to find anything to do here. At least in my neighbourhood. There were far more opportunities when I lived in Taipei of course.
Anyway, to answer the topic, I came and stay for the experience. Certainly not for the money as I am sure I would surely make more elsewhere. Its a very intense experience living here and I’m sure that when I leave I will miss all the excitement. Everywhere else will seem incredibly quiet and perhaps boring.
I came for 6 months… five years ago.
This sounds like a thread for where the inmates get to show off 
. My friend said 2 years, now it’s going on 4+ and he’s looking to buy a place. Hahaha!
I came here saying 2-3 years. Check back this thread then 
Hmmm, maybe when I hit “Generalissimo”, it’d be time for me to go.
Came here for a 6 month contract/secondment and i am still here 4.5 years later, with no plans for leaving yet.
I signed my first contract on the 1st of April 1999. I still can’t believe I signed a contract on April fools day, at the time I was not sure if the fool was me or the boss. 
Mucha Man gives good information. I’m having a difficult time right now because I seem to have too many hours on my hands and am bored, bored, bored. I think this is the first time in my life I’ve ever felt this way. Was here for one year and came back 14 months ago. Everything was great until about 1 1/2 months ago. Can’t take on extra hours and must go out to corporate classes at night. I also teach most lunch hours but in between those times, I can’t find anything I WANT to do. Think I’m a bit depressed too. Don’t want to work at a high school in the mornings and don’t want to teach young children in the afternoons. What can I do? Help!
We’ve been here for about 7 months i think, but it doesn’t feel that way. There are so many opertunities and so many problems that time just drips away unnoticed. We said that we’d be here a maximum of a year, and i’m sure that will not be true. But when we do finally leave, it won’t be to go ‘back’. We came away (in part at least) to get away from everything ‘back’ there. When we leave, it will be to somewhere with a touch more refinement. I think Bucharest; my better half has her heart set on Madrid. But never back! always forward!!
I have been here for 16+ years. I am at the point now where I am not experiencing any sort of personal growth. I have learned Mandarin, saved a few pennies in the bank, and seen what there is to see in Asia. My alchohol consumption is going up and so I think it is time for a change. My only problem is what to change?
Well at the risk of being presumption, you could transfer those ‘pennies’ into my bank account and start over… 
But on a serious note…hobbies, volunteer work, writing a book, opening a new business, etc. might help. Good luck.
I think this is great. It is nice to see everyone’s experiences of Taiwan and teaching although we may not all be teachers. It’s nice to see the newbies, myself included, exchange there experiences with the more knowledgeable people of Forumosa.
stare
I planned to be here for two school years. Next week will be the beginning of my fourth year. I have outlasted many people who have come here at the same time and after me. I thought inertia was to blame, not wanting to move countries now that I have so much here, but on returning from Bali my plane flew along the coast of Taiwan and I looked down at all the lights and cars and signs below, I realized just how much I love this country. For a moment, I thought it was more beautiful than Bali. Okay, a bit longer than that. Taiwan’s quite a sight from the sky at night.
Dammit, I’m beginning to think that I’ll never leave.