X3M wrote:
Several of X3M’s gripes are the mirror image of my own. I’m mulling going back but worry about whether I’ll be able to get out like I do here. Almost every weekend I’m lost on some hillside or other and it rarely takes more than 45 minutes to bicycle or bus from slapbam central Taipei to forest/mountain track. But British cities don’t have usable buses and the hills aren’t as close as here.
And then there’s the eating back there. I used to cook a lot. After five years gorging myself here, all I’m fit to do is paomian and pasta.
My reasons for staying then.
4 years.
Reasons for staying.
Family is here.
Higher salary for the same job is here.
It is difficult to sell my car.
ummm… I am scared that I have developed a certain level of Taiwan English and I don’t want to get laughed at when I go home.
I like to speak Chinese.
A lot of what X3M describes about his current state of ennui has to do with the limitations of the married life. When you’ve got responsibilities like that, you just don’t get much time to yourself, and trying to get out and do something exciting or adventurous is tough.
Of course, the rewards of family life are pretty amazing.
I’ve developed the philosophy that nothing comes for free. Choose the life that you don’t mind paying the price for, then smile and enjoy your life.
I think learning Mandarin will change your life dramatically, but it isn’t easy to learn, as you know. Good luck.
For those of us who chose to stay and make a living here, it gets pretty easy to thrive after a while in this rapidly developing country. You become streetwise and reap the benefits of being bicultural and even bilingual. But sooner or later, be it 10 or 15 years, we’ll reach that plateau and will be forced to confront the dilemma that X3M is now facing. That’s when the degree of our assimilation is put to the test. If you fail, you’ll feel perennially marginalized in this foreign society steeped in Confucian values, and the sense of ennui will only grow stronger no matter how many mountain excursions you go on or overseas vacations you take a year. But I think you’ve assimilated quite well, X3M, just from looking at your signature quote. 
I can really relate to X3M - he makes a lot of good points and in many ways I feel the same way. I don’t think it’s complaining, I think it is reality
[quote=“X3M”]The daily routine boils down to:
Get up, prepare the kids for school, go to work, come home late (7-8 in the evening), fight with the kids to do the (too much) homework, have dinner at home or in some neighbourhood place, TV, go to bed.
-Boring life.[/quote]
If it’s any comfort, that more or less describes my life here in suburban California, except my kids are still in preschool so there’s not too much homework. In fact, I had a much more active social life in Taipei. It takes a while to establish a new newtork of friends when you move, especially after you’re “settled down” with a wife and kids.
As for your worries about no one hiring someone over 40, don’t be so sure. Sounds like you’ve done well establishing your own business, and companies tend to look for those kinds of attributes. Now, whether you would want to work for someone after running your own show for so long is a different question.
Come on… honestly - life is pretty much the same no matter where you are. Sleep, work, eat etc. It is what you do in those little gaps in between thats makes it all worthwhile. Personally I think Taiwan has a bunch of things I will never be able to ‘cope’ with and will just take it on the chin, but everytime I go ‘home’ for an extended period of time the same routines settle in. Life is what you make and if you spend too much time listing things that annoy you about a place then a) that is too bad and b) it is a sign it may well be time to move on and try something new.
[quote=“Epicurean”]X3M wrote:
You also noted that there are many positives that you did not go into and when you get a chance you may want to post those too, as part of the
What kind of company do you own?
i am curious about 2 things posters have mentioned:
languages: you say your children know 3 or 4 languages. which onese? English, Mandarin + French, German???
pay: a few of you say you get higher pay. Is that because you get an expat package or do you mean more buying power or something else?
Just curious. My friends in US still make more than I do though I suppose the risk of layoffs there is still higher.
I’m curious about the money too, I am earning about a half of what my friends earn back home. Kind of traded wealth for experience I suppose - how are you people getting both halves of the cheese?
We have a kind of trading company for 3C (Computer, Communication and Consumer) electronic products. We also manufacture and/or coordinate manufacturing here in Taiwan for our customers (clients?).
The money is what you have left in you pocket (or bank account) after you have paid all taxes, and other necessary stuff.
For my country of origin, and the language stuff, I think it is sufficient to reveal: “a small county with extremely high living cost and tax-burden”, and the kids’ languages, according to fluency: Mandarin, my native language, English, Taiwanese (is that 3 or 4?).
There is no expat package here, I started off for a company that went bankrupt after I came here, so me and my wife started up with “two bare hands” (and a product-, supplier- and customer-portfolio).
HOTTALA!
I must say I’ve been reading this topic with particular interest, because I’m about to take the plunge as an expatriate going back to Taiwan to pursue my life and career.
I was born in Los Angeles, then lived in Taiwan until I was 10. After, I was pretty successful academically in the states, being valedictorian of my high school then graduating from UCLA with a 3.7 GPA. I had never had the idea to return to Taiwan until I went to college, when I went on a study abroad program to Taiwan as a junior. I have to say, that year was probably one of the best years of my life and have been longing to go back since. That year I also met my current girlfriend.
I’m now 7 months out of college, been working full time for 9 months, but have left my job in order to relocate to Taiwan. It’s a huge decision which potentially may affect the rest of my life!! If I get really comfortable, I may be there for a decade or two!
I hope it all works out in the end. 
Would love to hear some comments…
Hi Mixer…
I’m about six weeks away from heading back to Taiwan myself (as it stands at the moment)… lots of emotions about it! It has always been my hope to return and now that it is starting to come together, well, the mind boggles at times! I really think that having spent my formative years in Taiwan gave me the “extra- strength” dose of holding on to the need to return. You?
It sounds as though you are planning on returning quite soon yourself! Wish you well!
Well, as for me, I was born in TW and went to US when I was 12. Been there for the past 13 yrs and now I am back in TW due to some family reasons. I don’t plan on staying here forever since my parent are now living in the US and I don’t feel like this is home anymore, but it isn’t what I can control. I don’t know how long I am going to stay here, but I will make the best out of it. Oh…Mixer, move to TW because you want to, not because you have to, otherwise, you won’t be happy. Oh… also, don’t just move here cuz your girl is here… that is not a good reason! 
- Miaka
Hey you guys, when is the next outing?
Tika,
What do you mean by ‘formative’ years?
For me the decision pretty much came down to: What and where I hope my career would take me, and who/where I hope my future family be.
[quote=“MiakaW”]Well, as for me, I was born in TW and went to US when I was 12. Been there for the past 13 yrs and now I am back in TW due to some family reasons. I don’t plan on staying here forever since my parent are now living in the US and I don’t feel like this is home anymore, but it isn’t what I can control. I don’t know how long I am going to stay here, but I will make the best out of it. Oh…Mixer, move to TW because you want to, not because you have to, otherwise, you won’t be happy. Oh… also, don’t just move here cuz your girl is here… that is not a good reason!
- Miaka
Hey you guys, when is the next outing?[/quote]
I do have other reasons why I’m going to Taiwan. I’ve thought it through quite a bit…
Have anyone heard about, or have first hand experience about moving back to the home-country after spending more than 5 years or so in Taiwan?
How was it? Reversed culture shock? How long “back home” before you settled, or decided to move back again to Taiwan?
I think I heard a couple of years ago that the return rate (back to Taiwan) was pretty high, especially for people that had stayed here for more than only a few years.
Hottala!!
X3M:
wow…I didn’t know that there are actually ppl moving back to TW after they went back to their country (or whatever) I wonder if there is an article related to that. I gotta say, TW is not a bad place to live, despite the poplution and traffic and some crazy drivers, otherwise, I LOVE THE FOOD HERE!!