I am an American trying to stay here forever

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
1

Ok, so before I get bashed too hard, I will confirm some things that I will no doubt be accused of.

  1. Yes, I just joined, and no, I have not tried to find the answers to all my questions by using the search feature.
  2. I know that most of the questions I have are already answered somewhere, but in the searching I actually did do, I saw some incomplete, or outdated answers, so i am seeing what is new.
  3. etc etc etc

So, here is me. I am an American, I am 24 years old, I am an ex-powerlifter and was formally the US National Champion, and on Team USA. I was in the US Army for 5 years. I am a certified diesel mechanic. I love motorcycles, and have traveled cross country in the US more than once on my Honda VTX 1800. I have an 8 month old son, and his mother is Taiwanese, which is why I now live in Taichung, because her visa was up in the US, and she needed to come home (she was also ready, she missed it here).

My questions have to do with most of the things I just listed. As a young American with no college diploma, what is my best bet in terms of a job search? I just signed up with 104 so i could do some English tutoring for starters. Also, I had a big bike back home as well as a big truck (F250 Diesel) but i have always been fascinated with small bikes and small cars. I am seeing so many bikes and cars here that I just never saw in the US. Which small cars are reliable and worth a look at? What about motorcycles/scooters? Where is the best place to buy them second hand?
I know that in order to do anything here, I need ARC, and some other things, but me and my child’s mother will be getting married here, so it is my understanding that most of the paperwork I would need to do otherwise is not going to be an issue?
Being both an ex-soldier, and just my generally comfortable state, I like to keep my hair short… like a high and tight… but I have been told I may have trouble finding a place that will know how to cut my hair. Is there any truth to that?
Lastly, I am sure it is a mixture of things, from being a foreigner, to having a military hair cut, to being heavily tattooed, to being muscular (I have noticed that is not at all common here), etc etc etc, but I have noticed that EVERYWHERE I go, people are all staring at me. Should I just roll with it and accept that it will keep happening, or is there something i may be doing socially (that I am unaware of as an American) that I should be aware of and try to avoid?

Lastly, I know this is a very frustrating question, as there is no “right” answer, but what (in your experience) is the best method for learning Mandarin? I started learning back in the US by using simple phone apps, I also would simply ask questions about translations and pronunciation from my girlfriend. I am now constantly paying attention to people speaking all around me, listening to the radio, and i bought I phrase book, etc. However, it just seems like I am missing something. Like I am not going to become fluent this way.

Any thoughts, answers, help, etc, would be greatly appreciated.

2

It’s a bit of a long shot, but if you were an international-level sportsman and might be able to find work as a coach, you could try applying for a Plum Blossom card. I can’t really see Taiwan competing on the international stage in powerlifting, but I’m sure your experience will translate to other sports. It sounds like you’ve got an interesting background and a lot to contribute, but it depends how you present yourself and the opinions and prejudices of the people who process your application.

Of course, if you’re getting married, you’ll have an APRC anyway, but on the basis of marriage, which is a somewhat ticklish position to be in. Of course, I don’t know anything about you guys, but people and circumstances do change; and it’s just not pleasant to be dependent on another person for your visa.

Good luck, anyway.

3

Off the top of my head, your best bet might be to get married to the girlfriend, then you could get a Joining Family Resident Visa (JFRV) or marriage-based Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC), both of which come with an automatic work permit. Then you would not need to present a college degree in order to get a work permit.

Having “married to a local” status would also help you in making friends with locals, dealing with police and government, and dealing with any custody or other child-related issues, should they arise.

Getting a buzz cut is easy enough here; I do it because of the heat and humidity. People do tend to stare here and if you are a hulk with lots of tattoos that is never going to change, so try your best to get used to it.

Hope this helps.

4

Let’s not confuse the guy. MARRIAGE entitles you to a marriage ARC. This comes with an open work permit and needs to be renewed every three years. The initial application can only be for one year. This is based on marriage. If you get divorced or your wife dies, you can face issues. An APRC can be applied for after five years of marriage, and is totally independent of the marriage. If you get divorced, you can still stay, which might not be the case with a marriage ARC. The open work permit needs to be applied for and is not automatic as with the marriage one. There are also certain financial requirements with an APRC that do not apply for a marriage ARC.

5

If you’re a big guy, don’t exaggerate that with a swaggering walk and muscle shirts. Cover up a bit (I mean, for example, wear short sleeve shirts) and people won’t notice you so much. Every time I go back home now it takes me a while to adjust as everyone projects so much aggressive now compared to what I’ve grown used to here. You’re bringing that aggression straight off the boat so people are going to stare more. If you don’t want to be noticed make yourself a little more nerdy looking. :laughing:

Look into the American Chamber of Commerce for possible leads in personal training. Also, Formosa Fitness is a poster here who has his own gym. I’d contact him.

6

I second Mucha Man’s advice on contacting Formosa Fitness–I think he could be a great contact for you. You can also search Formosa Fitness on FB. Best of luck.

7

SOP is to get married - get a JFRV - teach kindy. While you’re earning doing that you can look for other opportunities. Be careful not to get stuck teaching kindy for too long though :slight_smile:

8

I’d go for English tutoring as your main income while trying to use your other skills to create something on the side that you could turn into a future job. Without professional qualifications and a interest in this career choice I believe teaching English won’t take you far. It’ll just pay the bills.

Taiwan had a female Olympic silver medalist in London in powerlifting, so this community exists.

9

I’d probably stare at you. :laughing:

10

Are you black? If so, then yes, you will have trouble finding a place that will know how to cut your hair. PM me if you’re interested on that front. Otherwise you should be fine.

[quote]
Lastly, I know this is a very frustrating question, as there is no “right” answer, but what (in your experience) is the best method for learning Mandarin? I started learning back in the US by using simple phone apps, I also would simply ask questions about translations and pronunciation from my girlfriend. I am now constantly paying attention to people speaking all around me, listening to the radio, and i bought I phrase book, etc. However, it just seems like I am missing something. Like I am not going to become fluent this way.

Any thoughts, answers, help, etc, would be greatly appreciated.[/quote]
I don’t know that it’s the best method but it worked for me; hang out with Mandarin speakers and just listen. We are fortunate in that Mandarin grammar feels “natural” to English speakers. Eventually your brain will start sorting out patterns and making connections, it’s how you learned your native language after all. At some point, maybe about nine months to a year later all of a sudden I was speaking Mandarin. Nothing fancy mind you, just enough to get by and hang out with my friends. Anything more formal will naturally require rigorous study. Ideally you should be taking a class as well, if I were able to my Mandarin would have been much stronger.

11

Don’t know how useful this is, but I watched the London Olympics and I think the Taiwanese team had some female lifters.

For the Mandarin I’d check out local universities to see if they have any Mandarin classes, a lot of universities in Tapei offer 3 month/2-3hour a day classes. I guess Taichung might have something like this.

12

You need to first get married, and register your marriage in your home country, the US. You then need your US marriage certificate to apply for a resident visa of the JFRV kind: Joining Family Resident Visa. You will obtain your ARC (not an APRC, that comes later).

boca.gov.tw/np.asp?ctNode=776&mp=2
boca.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=613 … e=778&mp=2

By the way, I’m in the same situation like you (but I’m not from the US and I’ve lived in Taiwan before for several years).

For learning the language: start with the fundamentals of Chinese language the way it’s done in Taiwan. Learn bopomofo (a.k.a. zhuyin fuhao) and learn what the 5 tones are. Just buy children’s books and cd’s. Seriously, it’s what I did, and it worked very well for me.

13

I didn’t expect so many responses in less than a day. I really appreciate it, and this has been very helpful.
We will be getting married, just not sure when yet. She said that if worst case scenario we aren’t married in time, then I can take a trip to Hong Kong for a day then come back.
I am not black, I am just a typical white guy. So hopefully a haircut wont be a problem.
Speaking on the “not showing off the muscles” thing, I actually have been wearing tank tops every day, lol. Wasn’t even thinking about it, I just thought “Well it’s hot out, so I am going to wear a tank top”. Funny enough, I was in Nova yesterday trying to find someone that can jailbreak my Iphone 5 (turns out they can’t, its sprint and they only do AT&T) and as I was walking by a booth, a guy said in Mandarin “Oh man, look at his arms, they are so huge”. This is when I was wearing an XXL T-shirt, though. I guess I don’t mind people staring as much, as long as its not a “What the fuck is wrong with this guy” sort of thing.
I wasn’t able to get much information on gyms in Taichung, so I am just working out at the World Gym, and so far I haven’t seen anyone in there who looks like the “fitness” type. Basically, the cardio equipment is always being used, and the free weights are collecting dust.
I am going to try the children’s books and CD’s thing for Mandarin. I am also going to head into town and see where I can get some classes. I asked my girlfriend about it last night and she said that she isn’t sure where to get the classes, but they should be really cheap.

What about places to buy used scooters or cars when the time comes? I notice that Craigslist isn’t really used here.

14

Why am I thinking modeling/acting/ even local variety shows could be on this guys future?

15

[quote=“darth_guy”]You need to first get married, and register your marriage in your home country, the US. You then need your US marriage certificate to apply for a resident visa of the JFRV kind: Joining Family Resident Visa. You will obtain your ARC (not an APRC, that comes later).

boca.gov.tw/np.asp?ctNode=776&mp=2
boca.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=613 … e=778&mp=2

By the way, I’m in the same situation like you (but I’m not from the US and I’ve lived in Taiwan before for several years).

For learning the language: start with the fundamentals of Chinese language the way it’s done in Taiwan. Learn bopomofo (a.k.a. zhuyin fuhao) and learn what the 5 tones are. Just buy children’s books and cd’s. Seriously, it’s what I did, and it worked very well for me.[/quote]

Alternatively, you could just get married in Taiwan. No need for a US marriage certificate then. Come in on a visitor visa, register marriage at the district office and then take that info to the immigration dept for a JFRV.

16

I believe Taiwan’s national basketball team just got an American on board, Quincy Davis is his name I think? If you plan to stay in Taiwan on a permanent basis, perhaps you can consider getting the citizenship and compete for TPE for the Olympics. The women’s power ifting team has been getting silver and bronze metals the last three Olympics and Asian Games, none on the Men’s side though.

17

Taiwan’s national team has an American? I thought national teams were reserved for people with that nationality? Or he swapped nationality to Taiwan?

Big cash rewards for anyone that can win medals at the Olympics for Taiwan. Would be fun to see a Caucasian compete for Taiwan. A sign that it’s becoming “multi-racial”. :slight_smile:

18

The national basketball association applied for citizenship on his behalf. He is now competing in the Jones Cup as a member of the national team.

19

You usually have to give up your own citizenship first, you can get it back alter though.

20

I’m about to start lessons with MTC online. It’s through Shi-da (my boss insisted that I MUST pay double and go through the BEST university…blah).

online.mtc.ntnu.edu.tw/index.php … ge=english <<website.

Between you, your tutor, and your partner you can probably come up with a really good program to help you learn quicker. Otherwise I use the Serge Melnyk podcasts and I find them really useful.

Good luck!