Same thing happened to me. A bank in Vancouver sold me some old currency that I tried to use at a grocery store my first night here. My Taiwanese contact (the brother of my LE) seemed a bit embarrassed (as was I - at first I thought maybe I had purchased counterfeit money). He exchanged my money on the spot, telling me he would take it to Bank of Taiwan (which would have been beyond me as well at that time). I remember being surprised he carried that much cash on him. Now, I see it is commonplace.
[quote=“MJB”]I came with about 20kUSD, no idea that a teaching market here even existed, and a plan to stay for one year…
In 1986.[/quote]
in your belt and socks …?
How many years ago would that have been?
ballsy.[/quote]
Tomas: with no wife and kids I would most happily step back to when I had my material items loaded on my back. Life was good then…
[quote=“Shimokitazawa”][quote=“Brendon”]I arrived with about US$1500 in local currency, which I bought at Heathrow in London. The first time I tried to buy a drink at 7-11, I found out they had (unknowingly) sold me old currency and that it was all useless until I could change it at a particular bank – which was way beyond me at the time.
So I starved for a month. It was fun![/quote]
that would have been a great time to read Knut Hamsen’s Hunger[/quote]
Any time is a great time to read Hamsun.
Just about flat broke. And broke is broke, wherever you are. Had to wait several months for my $18,000/month salary to clear the bureaucracy. It really sucked. Really. Sucked.
£7000.
Welcome back, Buttercup!
I had US$500, but I also had a good friend to stay with for the first week.
In the past, there was so much work that you didn’t have to look long if you were the least bit presentable.
My wife and I came with NT$24,000 in 2004. Found an apartment on day 2, job on day 3, first three months were a little gritty all the same due to monthly visa runs while the school and immigration argued about ARC regulations (which changed while I was in the process of applying). We were down to NT$200 at one point, with two days to go to payday.
LIfe on the edge. Just goes to show your level of COMMITMENT.
And it takes just that sometimes. To go whole hog for it.
[quote=“tommy525”]LIfe on the edge. Just goes to show your level of COMMITMENT.
And it takes just that sometimes. To go whole hog for it.[/quote]
So… Show some commitment. What’s that they say in the US? Show up or…?
Still waiting, T-Man… 
With seven thousand pounds I could have started a dynasty!
[quote=“bismarck”][quote=“tommy525”]LIfe on the edge. Just goes to show your level of COMMITMENT.
And it takes just that sometimes. To go whole hog for it.[/quote]
So… Show some commitment. What’s that they say in the US? Show up or…?
Still waiting, T-Man…
With seven thousand pounds I could have started a dynasty![/quote]
Well I can only stay 30 days at a time now in Taiwan so i gotta figure out the moves !
[quote=“Brendon”]I arrived with about US$1500 in local currency, which I bought at Heathrow in London. The first time I tried to buy a drink at 7-11, I found out they had (unknowingly) sold me old currency and that it was all useless until I could change it at a particular bank – which was way beyond me at the time.
So I starved for a month. It was fun![/quote]
This reminds me of traveling in South America (peru/ecuador). You can have 100USD (or equivalent) in your pocket but if it’s not in small denominations then you can’t buy lunch because they don’t have change and will have to run up and down the street trying to break your big bills.
[quote=“tommy525”][quote=“bismarck”][quote=“tommy525”]LIfe on the edge. Just goes to show your level of COMMITMENT.
And it takes just that sometimes. To go whole hog for it.[/quote]
So… Show some commitment. What’s that they say in the US? Show up or…?
Still waiting, T-Man…
With seven thousand pounds I could have started a dynasty![/quote]
Well I can only stay 30 days at a time now in Taiwan so i gotta figure out the moves ![/quote]
Make a plan, buddy. Start a business or something. Get a job here. Whatever. Pack those bags. The Xiaojies are waiting!
Not to mention the food !
[quote=“bismarck”]
With seven thousand pounds I could have started a dynasty![/quote]
Buttercup saves.
A dynasty of what?
[quote=“tommy525”]LIfe on the edge. Just goes to show your level of COMMITMENT.
And it takes just that sometimes. To go whole hog for it.[/quote]
I assure you, it wasn’t very exciting living the first 6 months on little more than a shoestring and a prayer. I would not recommend it. But that was all the money we had by the time my fiance had moved to Australia, we had married, and we had bought our plane tickets to Taiwan.
[quote=“Fortigurn”][quote=“tommy525”]LIfe on the edge. Just goes to show your level of COMMITMENT.
And it takes just that sometimes. To go whole hog for it.[/quote]
I assure you, it wasn’t very exciting living the first 6 months on little more than a shoestring and a prayer. I would not recommend it. But that was all the money we had by the time my fiance had moved to Australia, we had married, and we had bought our plane tickets to Taiwan.[/quote]
Ah, but that’s not the whole truth.
You were living on a shoestring, a prayer and Lurve. That makes all the difference! 
I’ll be arriving with $5000USD.
Which, after Tuition ($1000USD), visa, travel insurance, 2 months rent and utilities, 2 months security, phone service, and food…
Will equal…
…I don’t want to think about it :’(
I pray I can find some part-time tutoring or teaching hours… Otherwise I very may well starve or not have enough for the immigration people to allow me to renew my visa or get my ARC. 
Came here in 2008 with about 25,000NTD. I already had a job lined up and crashed at a friends place the first two weeks, so I didn’t have to worry as much about it. I had about 3000NTD left by the time I got my next pay. It was quite a meager existence though. I practically lived on 20NTD 7-11 noodles.
Arrived with a few thou in USD, which seemed to go a lot faster than I imagined after rent and security, used scooter (since my cram school was nowhere near the housing they had arranged for me), etc.
Where did all that money go? Ah well, cash flow planning in the hands of a young twenty something! When I was down to my last 100NT with like a day or two until my first pay day, that’s when the red alert finally sounded, and I realized I was in another country without a working ATM card, barely enough to get through the next couple of days, and nothing remotely resembling a plan B. I think I had to budget it out and limit myself to mantous and such to make it through. That was the first time this middle class kid had ever felt the feeling of actual hunger (the kind that is out of your power to resolve).
Though after reading through stories of people doing 20NT meals for a month, I guess I had it easy. Still, a character building experience for me. I was like, “what the hell were you thinking?”