Is Taipei really this bad?

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
1

I have been pondering the idea of going to Taipei in January to look for a teaching position. However, I just came upon the following blog that chronicles the life of an English teacher there. It sounds as if life there is pure hell…fires, earthquakes, typhoons, shot outs with the mafia, blatant racism, 1000s of sick stray dogs wondering the streets, violence, bad work conditions, sickening pollution, etc. After reading it, I’m thinking that I should look for a job in Korea.
Is life really that bad there?
…here’s the blog that I have been reading:

postmodernfunk.blogspot.com/

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2

I’ve been here 5 years. It’s simply awful.

3

Don’t forget, this is just one persons take on the island. He was unlucky to experience a fire.

Sure, safety requirements are not as stringent as they are in western countries and earthquakes and hurricanes torment the island from time to time.

You have to ask yourself why you are coming here. If it is to enjoy all the comforts and joys you have in your living room in your home country then you will out of luck. If on the other hand you want to experience a toatally different way of life then start packing your bags.

[quote]shot outs with the mafia,
[/quote]

Does it not happen between police and criminals in your country?

[quote]blatant racism,
[/quote]

Ill informed curiosity and different social behaviour. I wouldn’t label it as racism as onemight percieve it in western countries.

Not at all. There are millions of sick stray dogs wandering the streets.

Less then back home.

Working conditions are generally OK. It’s the boss you have to watch out for.

The pollution can be bad, but it depends wht the weather is like and where you actually end up in Taiwan.

If you have an open mind, bring along some common sense and generally expect that it wont always be easy you’ll do fine.

I don’t think Korea will be much of an improvement on Taiwan, if any at all.

4

my god no.

5

Taipei is nowhere near that bad. It’s actually pretty good. To me, the pollution is a little bad, but then again, I come from New Zealand, where “heavy pollution” is when two or more people have their fireplaces going at once :laughing:

Seriously though:

How can you take seriously anyone who types in that obnoxious wanky manner, and who talks such unbounded bollocks?

6

nah…it’s about how adaptable you are…

7

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Snort! Giggle!!! HAHAHA HA!

Korea!

Oh, man, you’re hilarious. Go into standup comedy.

If you think Taipei is bad, just wait until you see Korea.

8

Taipei is not that bad, and it is improving daily. You will run into shady behavior on the employment front, though.

9

The worst thing about living in Taipei is the price-tag; it is simply more expensive than cozy Tainan. If you are thinking about paying back some student loans, forget Taipei as it will take twice as long compared to teaching in another city in Taiwan (not to mention the countryside).
On the other hand, Taipei is really nice and in contrast to Tainan it has wonderful museums and galleries (for Taiwanese standards at least).

10

Taipe is also surrounded by mountains and you can be by yourself in a lush forest (often by yourself) in under 30 minutes if you live in Mucha, Neihu, or around Yangmingshan. You can be at the beach in about an hour. There are now around 100 km of bike trails lining the rivers.

The air pollution gets me the most, but if you can get up and do your outdoor stuff in the early morning it won’t affect you. Also if you live in any of the areas I mention above it is not bad at all on most days.

11

[quote=“microman”]I have been pondering the idea of going to Taipei in January to look for a teaching position. However, I just came upon the following blog that chronicles the life of an English teacher there. It sounds as if life there is pure hell…fires, earthquakes, typhoons, shot outs with the mafia, blatant racism, 1000s of sick stray dogs wondering the streets, violence, bad work conditions, sickening pollution, etc. After reading it, I’m thinking that I should look for a job in Korea.
Is life really that bad there?
…here’s the blog that I have been reading:

postmodernfunk.blogspot.com/ .[/quote]

Part of what makes life exciting here are is the occassional earthquake, typhoon and so on.

Violence? A single woman can walk the city streets at night after midnight with few worries. Unless you are an obnoxious lout who frequents questionable bars you will likely see no violence here at all. Chinese people have a way of walking in their own little world when in public so you rarely see people hassling each other. There’s a comfortable ease about the streets. None of that jittery edge you feel in most big cities in the west.

You’re far more likely to feel threatened walking the streets of Vancouver than Taipei.

Mafia shotouts? Where? Sure they happen but they are as likely to affect you as they do back home. Far less in fact.

Sick dogs. Yes, there are many but they are usually down alleys and sometimes in old parks. You don’t see them walking on most downtown streets.

Wherever you live now you likely have to deal with street people. There are almost none in Taipei except in a few concentrated areas. For the most part all you see are normal people going about there daily life.

12

[quote=“microman”]
Is life really that bad there?
…here’s the blog that I have been reading:

postmodernfunk.blogspot.com/
.[/quote]

Postmodernfunk is on Forumosa too. I tried to read his blog, but the vowels in small capitals scared me away again. If you mess up language on purpose, don’t expect me to read.

Well, back in Germany it was easy to get into trouble late at night in the bad parts of town, when a bunch of drunken young gentlemen bought their beer on gas station (our replacement for 7-11), heads shaven, and I bought my french red wine. Or another night, buying wine again at the same place, 2 east-European gentleman inviting me in their car (they really really wanted to show me something inside). I then decided wine is not good for my health.

Here all that happens to me is someone whispering “foreigner” in Chinese behind my back or in front of my nose. But even if they are drunk they only give me this “ooooooohhhhhh there!” look.

Pollution: really bad close to the main roads and some people get really sick from that. If the Typhoon comes, it cleans the air, but in summer when the air is not moving, it smells like the exhaust of a Volkswagen here.

Gangsters: sure are here somewhere, but my wife keeps me away from Tittybars, so I am fine.
Fire: well, Taiwan is not fireproof I guess, same like Germany or Veryfaristan. Never experienced any fire. Bad thing: who has a key for that fence on my bed room window ???

Street dogs: everywhere and it can break the heart of someone growing up with dogs like me to see them ill and half dead, being kicked around, having a broken leg etc. Taiwan people do not care much about animals, I think they do not see them as life forms.

Work conditions: I work in a computer company. Well, a Taiwan boss is more boss than a German boss, but I think I get treated more sensitively than my Taiwan colleagues. No idea about Buxiban/English school.

Earth quakes: well, sometimes the floor shakes. You must jump to the left when it jumps to the right.

Racism: Taiwan people think white people are cute, “handsome” creatures, more stupid than Chinese, a bit like children. They can get on your nerves with “can I touch your big belly” if you have an average western male belly, but are not really unfriendly. Their opinion about darker people seems to be different and more unfriendly. But you have that in every country, probably more here, as black people are familiar in Western Europe for instance, but not so much here.

SCOOTERS, traffic in gerneral, no sidwalks, speaker trucks, my nephew not doing his homework and I must do it - that is really bad here. Forget the Mafia.

13

Taipei is great, and so is Taiwan. Couple anecdotes.

The first time I visited Taipei an editor friend helped me through the MRT station. I couldn’t even say xie xi (thank you) without Taiwanese giggling like fiends - I spoke zip Mandarin. My friend told me to stand next to a wall while he rushed over to the automated ticket dispenser (fantastic subway system in Taipei, btw): I was warehoused. As I stood with my back to the wall, I watched a very small, elderly man slowly shuffle my way, through hordes of rushing commuters. Brown sport jacket, red suspenders, white trousers, really bad shoes (are those house slippers? I thought) on obviously dirty feet. He was depending on a cane but his eyes never left mine. He stopped right in front of me, looked up, and in perfect English said,“You ok? You lost?” I said, “no, but thank you very much!” He smiled, used his cane to maneuver a 180, shuffled away. I’ll never forget it.

Second, while theft does exist, I have NEVER, not even in Kansas for god’s sake, experienced the low level of theft I experienced in Taiwan. It’s almost comical, really. Taiwanese society is nearly uniformly uninterested in stealing your backpack, your briefcase, your bag, your sack, your suitcase. This kind of honesty is commonplace in Taiwan.

Plus, it’s quirky. I doubt that in Korea you’ll ever see a father, mother, and maybe 2-year-old riding on a scooter, kid standing up between dad’s legs, mom on back, seeing a big meiguoren (me) walking down the street, slowing down, deciding to turn a U-turn to get another look, leisurely and apparently ignoring a pretty significant amount of oncoming traffic (especially the father, the driver), and casually - being so intent on watching me - striking a parked Honda at about 2mph on the other side of the street. The scooter bounced off slightly, the whole family then looked at the car (no damage visible), the father backed the scooter up slowly, and they came back and got their second look after all. The oncoming traffic seemed to shrug collectively, split up efficiently, organically somehow, and keep moving. This was in Taoyuan, but Taipei, too, is often quite charming, really.

14

I once heard that breathing the air in Taiwan, and in Korea, is about equivalent to smoking two packs a day. That is completely unsubstantiated, though.

15

[quote=“microman”]I have been pondering the idea of going to Taipei in January to look for a teaching position. However, I just came upon the following blog that chronicles the life of an English teacher there. It sounds as if life there is pure hell…fires, earthquakes, typhoons, shot outs with the mafia, blatant racism, 1000s of sick stray dogs wondering the streets, violence, bad work conditions, sickening pollution, etc. After reading it, I’m thinking that I should look for a job in Korea.
Is life really that bad there?
…here’s the blog that I have been reading:

postmodernfunk.blogspot.com/
.[/quote]

Fires? Yes, they happen, but they also happen in the US. I’ve been present on Taiwanese soil over 5 years of my life, and the only fire I’ve ever seen here was a grass fire. I see more grass fires in California. I’ve never seen a house burn down here, but I’ve seen two burn down in the US, and I’ve seen a couple factory fires in the US, too. Fires should not be a concern - just don’t live in a place that’s an obvious fire trap.

Earthquakes? Yes, they happen frequently - I’ve felt far more quakes here in 5 years than in 12 years of living in California. But apart from the 1999 earthquake, most are mild, and can even fe fun to experience!

Typhoons? They happen on average 4 to 5 times a year, and the concrete & rebar buildings here can withstand them easily. Just stay indoors so you won’t get hit by debris. If power goes out, it’sll be back on soon - they have restoring power down to an efficient artform here, unlike in the US (especially Louisville, KY).

Shootouts? There are more shootouts in the US than there will ever be here. There is no “gun culture” here, and gun control is among the strongest in the world (and it works). Apart from the military and the police, only the Mafia have guns, and you don’t have to worry about the Mafia unless you deliberately go looking for trouble with them.

Racism? Mostly, nothing more than ignorance. In fact, Westerners are often treated better than locals.

Stray dogs? Yes. Most are harmless. Just don’t pet them or step on their tails. Why are there so many? The locals love to keep puppies, but they all too foten abandon them when they get large and troublesome to raise.

Violence? Trust me, America is far more violent than Taiwan could ever dream of being. You are highly unlikely to be victimized by violence unless you go out deliberately provoking it.

Bad working conditions? Sure. Disorganized offices, unscrupulous bosses, etc. Don’t like your job? It’s easy to quit and find another. The good thing is that you will probably accumulate more disposable income here than you will in the US, if you live cheaply here (which is eminently possible). Income tax rates are low, monthly living expenses can be very low if you find a cheap apartment. Result: lost of money left over at the end of the month. And work opportunities are abundant.

Pollution? Sure. But if you live in the outskirts of town (I’m assuming you’ll be living in Taipei), there’s less of it. Neihu, for example, is by the mountains, and the air is fresher there. By the way, I’ve seen browner skies in Los Angeles and San Francisco than I have in Taipei.

Think about the positives. Fascinating culture, interesting language, amazing food, proximity to other fascinating countries, and indescribably beautiful women.

16

Taipei’s a fantastic city. I love it.

There’s a lot of moaning, whingeing, negative, loser fuckwits who whine about it all the time, but ignore them (unless you’re a moaning negative loser, of course, in which case Taipei’s probably not for you).

Brian

17

[quote=“microman”]I have been pondering the idea of going to Taipei in January to look for a teaching position. However, I just came upon the following blog that chronicles the life of an English teacher there. It sounds as if life there is pure hell…fires, earthquakes, typhoons, shot outs with the mafia, blatant racism, 1000s of sick stray dogs wondering the streets, violence, bad work conditions, sickening pollution, etc. After reading it, I’m thinking that I should look for a job in Korea.
Is life really that bad there?
…here’s the blog that I have been reading:

postmodernfunk.blogspot.com/
.[/quote]

Fires? Yes, they happen, but they also happen in the US. I’ve been present on Taiwanese soil over 5 years of my life, and the only fire I’ve ever seen here was a grass fire. I see more grass fires in California. I’ve never seen a house burn down here, but I’ve seen two burn down in the US, and I’ve seen a couple factory fires in the US, too. Fires should not be a concern - just don’t live in a place that’s an obvious fire trap.

Earthquakes? Yes, they happen frequently - I’ve felt far more quakes here in 5 years than in 12 years of living in California. But apart from the 1999 earthquake, most are mild, and can even fe fun to experience!

Typhoons? They happen on average 4 to 5 times a year, and the concrete & rebar buildings here can withstand them easily. Just stay indoors so you won’t get hit by debris. If power goes out, it’sll be back on soon - they have restoring power down to an efficient artform here, unlike in the US (especially Louisville, KY).

Shootouts? Trust me, there are more shootouts in the US than there will ever be here. There is no “gun culture” here, and gun control is among the strongest in the world (and it works). Apart from the military and the police, only the Mafia have guns, and you don’t have to worry about the Mafia unless you deliberately go looking for trouble with them.

Racism? Mostly, nothing more than ignorance. In fact, Westerners are often treated better than locals.

Stray dogs? Yes. Most are harmless. Just don’t pet them or step on their tails. Why are there so many? The locals love to keep puppies, but they all too foten abandon them when they get large and troublesome to raise.

Voilence? Trust me, America is far more violent than Taiwan could ever dream of being. You are highly unlikely to be victimized by violence unless you go out deliberately provoking it.

Bad working conditions? Sure. Disorganized offices, unscrupulous bosses, etc. Don’t like your job? It’s easy to quit and find another. The good thing is that you will probably accumulate more disposable income here than you will in the US, if you live cheaply here (which is eminently possible). Income tax rates are low, monthly living expenses can be very low if you find a cheap apartment. Result: lost of money left over at the end of the month. And work opportunities are abundant.

Pollution? Sure. But if you live in the outskirts of town, there’s less of it. Neihu, for example, is by the mountains, and the air is fresher there. By the way, I’ve seen browner skies in Los Angeles and San Francisco than I have in Taipei.

Think about the positives. Fascinating culture, interesting language, amazing food, proximity to other fascinating countries, and indescribably beautiful women.

18

That’s the perfect slogan. “Taipei: It’s not as bad as they say.”

19

The only complaint I have after 3.5 years here are the pointlessly long working hours and the lack of a decent amount of holiday time to enjoy all that Taiwan has to offer.

I’m an office slave, perhaps an English teacher’s life would be different (or perhaps not).

20

I lived in Korea for quite a few number of years. I am fluent in the language (a bit rusty now, though), and otherwise quite familiar with the country.

I would say this. If you are absolutely sure about making this a temporary adventure in your life, I would recommend Korea. But beware: everyone, just about, that has been in Asia for more than five years never came with the plan of staying so long. Korea, after the first year, will slowly take its toll on you. When you realize the level of racism and hatred of foreigners in general, the way they treat each other, the inferiority complex that drives their behavior, the incredible contradictions of their society, etc., you will slowly start changing. I know from the posts of many that there will be those that will be saying I could just as easily be describing Taiwan, but there is no parallel. There just isn’t.

In Korea, the money for minimal skills is easy and good. But Taiwan has my vote for the long term, hands down. If you want clean air, try another hemisphere.