I found it a LOT harder to adjust to knowing Buttercup in real life than it was to just living here…
Yeah yeah. Make like yer avatar.
*oops! I didn’t mean ‘do Michael Jackson’!!!
[quote=“Skyfae”][color=#0040FF]I will be coming to Taiwan next month and I just wanted some opinions on adjustment. How long did it take you all to adjust to living in Taiwan? If at all…
Thank you!
[/color][/quote]
20 years give or take 
There are three things: the place and the people and you.
Almost all the posts miss a critical item. Are you Chinese (or Korean or Japanese)? If you are already an ABC, you’ll be familar with how people will interact with you. If your parents were very traditional, you might feel very little culture shock.
I read that you’re from Chicago and have been to Ireland. The people in TW are basically the opposite of people from Chicago and completely the opposite from Irish people. The way of treating people nicely (because they’re people and not because they can give you something) is behavior you will find in Ireland and Chicago.
Irish people can be defensive about their island and so can Taiwanese. But Irish defensiveness is not compounded with ‘loss of face,’ as here. Criticize an Irishman and a good part of the time he’ll laugh it off or trade barbs and fire back with a humorous comment about you. That’s not likely to happen here.
Chicago is a cosmopolitan metropolis where there is something fun to do every night of the week all year long and the city has all the modern infrastructure one could want. Taipei (except for near 101 and a few other areas) aspires to be more like Keokuk, Iowa.
If you’re here to learn Chinese, you’ll handle culture shock (people and place) better. And as another poster said, you’ll never be cease to be amazed here (usually with humans) and this will give you something to write home about.
skyfae, first piece of advice, very important, called the “Yossarian Rule” ---- assume everyone is trying to kill you with a vehicle. car, bus, truck, taxi, scooter, you name it. Do not trust “walk” signals at intersections, or the fact that you are on a sidewalk. When outside your building, constantly scan your surroundings like a special ops dude (e.g., Tainan Cowboy, or the The Honorable Chief hisself) for threats, because they WILL be there. Road rules are not obeyed in Taiwan. Taiwan makes Chicago look like driver’s ed class in high school with the teacher riding shotgun.
Want to see a scooter doing 30 kph with dad, mom, two kids, the groceries, and pet cut through a mob of pedestrians crossing an intersection with the walk light on … it could happen on day one.
You will piss yourself the first time some scooter pilot buzzes you on the sidewalk trying to grab a parking slot that just opened up … on the sidewalk.
delete
Did you forget to write something?
clarity in life?
Heard about that far-eastern wisdom tranquility thingy eh?
:roflmao: :discodance: :no-no:
[quote=“shuiping”]There are three things: the place and the people and you.
Almost all the posts miss a critical item. Are you Chinese (or Korean or Japanese)? If you are already an ABC, you’ll be familar with how people will interact with you. If your parents were very traditional, you might feel very little culture shock.
I read that you’re from Chicago and have been to Ireland. The people in TW are basically the opposite of people from Chicago and completely the opposite from Irish people. The way of treating people nicely (because they’re people and not because they can give you something) is behavior you will find in Ireland and Chicago.
Irish people can be defensive about their island and so can Taiwanese. But Irish defensiveness is not compounded with ‘loss of face,’ as here. Criticize an Irishman and a good part of the time he’ll laugh it off or trade barbs and fire back with a humorous comment about you. That’s not likely to happen here.
Chicago is a cosmopolitan metropolis where there is something fun to do every night of the week all year long and the city has all the modern infrastructure one could want. Taipei (except for near 101 and a few other areas) aspires to be more like Keokuk, Iowa.
If you’re here to learn Chinese, you’ll handle culture shock (people and place) better. And as another poster said, you’ll never be cease to be amazed here (usually with humans) and this will give you something to write home about.[/quote]
[color=#0040FF]
Thank you for this information:)
I’m a white American.
I really want to learn Chinese, as I mentioned earlier. From what I’ve heard, a lot of teachers around the Taipei area take language classes in the evening…[/color]
[quote=“maunaloa”]skyfae, first piece of advice, very important, called the “Yossarian Rule” ---- assume everyone is trying to kill you with a vehicle. car, bus, truck, taxi, scooter, you name it. Do not trust “walk” signals at intersections, or the fact that you are on a sidewalk. When outside your building, constantly scan your surroundings like a special ops dude (e.g., Tainan Cowboy, or the The Honorable Chief hisself) for threats, because they WILL be there. Road rules are not obeyed in Taiwan. Taiwan makes Chicago look like driver’s ed class in high school with the teacher riding shotgun.
Want to see a scooter doing 30 kph with dad, mom, two kids, the groceries, and pet cut through a mob of pedestrians crossing an intersection with the walk light on … it could happen on day one.
You will piss yourself the first time some scooter pilot buzzes you on the sidewalk trying to grab a parking slot that just opened up … on the sidewalk.[/quote]
Yes, this will take some getting used to. I hate traffic…
When I went to Ireland, I was almost run over by a double decker bus in downtown Dublin. So I’m very cautious when crossing the street anywhere now.
I am looking forward to the new sights, lol.
I spent 10 years or so in Taiwan and I never had more than a random day here and there of real culture shock–and that wasn’t ever serious. Ironically, I’ve been back “home” in the States now for 3.5 years and still experience a lot of pretty strong reverse culture shock!
I remember it took me about a week to get used to Taiwan.
The first 3 hours were amazing, my excitement was out of control.
But then the tiredness of the flight and the realization that I knew absolutely no one here made me sink into a very sad state.
I actually came running to this forum to post how awful everything was going for me.
And then after a week everything was going well, mostly because I met a lot of new people and I had a place to stay that I could call Home/my dorm.
[quote=“Rabidpie”]I remember it took me about a week to get used to Taiwan.
The first 3 hours were amazing, my excitement was out of control.
But then the tiredness of the flight and the realization that I knew absolutely no one here made me sink into a very sad state.
I actually came running to this forum to post how awful everything was going for me.
And then after a week everything was going well, mostly because I met a lot of new people and I had a place to stay that I could call Home/my dorm.[/quote]
[color=#0040FF]I hope I’m not on here the first night sobbing my heart out…lol [/color]
Adjust to what!
Well of course one can live a life just about the same as back home if they want.
The biggest problem for me is that sometimes I feel that Taiwanese treat me like a retard. They start translating everything without even asking if I want anything translated.
How do you know that the OP will ever have an American employer again?
[quote=“shuiping”]
Chicago is a cosmopolitan metropolis where there is something fun to do every night of the week all year long and the city has all the modern infrastructure one could want. Taipei (except for near 101 and a few other areas) aspires to be more like Keokuk, Iowa. [/quote]
:blah: :blah: :blah: Nope. It’s a metropolis, but nothing fun to do everynight of the week unless getting drunk, being a pickup artists and hiting overrated and overpriced night clubs is your idea of fun.
[quote=“Skyfae”]
Thank you for this information:)
I’m a white American. ][/quote]
Oh…well you most certainly will be having a lot of “clarity of life” while being there. Let’s start with being stared at… 
[quote=“Skyfae”][quote=“maunaloa”]skyfae, first piece of advice, very important, called the “Yossarian Rule” ---- assume everyone is trying to kill you with a vehicle. car, bus, truck, taxi, scooter, you name it. Do not trust “walk” signals at intersections, or the fact that you are on a sidewalk. When outside your building, constantly scan your surroundings like a special ops dude (e.g., Tainan Cowboy, or the The Honorable Chief hisself) for threats, because they WILL be there. Road rules are not obeyed in Taiwan. Taiwan makes Chicago look like driver’s ed class in high school with the teacher riding shotgun.
Want to see a scooter doing 30 kph with dad, mom, two kids, the groceries, and pet cut through a mob of pedestrians crossing an intersection with the walk light on … it could happen on day one.
You will piss yourself the first time some scooter pilot buzzes you on the sidewalk trying to grab a parking slot that just opened up … on the sidewalk.[/quote]
Yes, this will take some getting used to. I hate traffic…
When I went to Ireland, I was almost run over by a double decker bus in downtown Dublin. So I’m very cautious when crossing the street anywhere now.
I am looking forward to the new sights, lol.[/quote]
Haha, that’s because you forgot to look at traffic in the left lane! Remember the golden rule in Taiwan, look in ALL directions at the SAME time. Front, back, left and right , it’s quite a feat once you acheive this ability.
Dublin’s traffic is nothing compared to Taiwan… seriously just learn to wait a little longer when the lights are changing as some cars will rush the lights. Extra caution and you can’t go wrong.
Dublin is like a chilled out town compared to Taipei. It is quite frenetic here although the subway system is pretty relaxed and nothing like the London Tube for instance. I remember the first time I went to London, first time on a subway network (thinking this is cool), standing in the left lane. I hear this rushing sound but don’t pay attention. Suddenly I hear this noise like a dog panting and heat on the back of my neck, there’s some dude turning purple with rage that I have blocked his way. I stepped out of the way. Then a few seconds later I hear a shout ‘coming through’ , look up and another bloke is running down the stairs at about 100 miles/hour.
I grabbed this from another expat’s website, called Expat jane. she lived in Korea for a bit of time.