Living in taiwan safe for teenage girls?

hi…im planning to study in Taipei, taiwan. Juz checking…is taipei safe?..i mean for a teenage girl…Hows the people in taipei?..I heard that the people there will bully foreigners…is that true?..How would u know which area is not safe to go?..Thanks!!!

Taiwan is one of the safest places on the planet.

Not to say no precautions need to be taken but its pretty safe. Except for the traffic. Thats not safe. You need to develop an awareness of your surroundings at all times.

Taiwan is not Japan… You won’t be groped on the MRT (like a Subway) and people will be very polite. You’ll probably be treated like a celebrity. There are no guns in Taiwan and very little violent crime to speak of. That being said, always be mindful. Taiwan has a few crazies but as long as you’re not alone all the time you’re in no danger whatsoever.

That makes no sense.

That makes no sense.[/quote]

Yeah when you cut the sentence in half it sure doesn’t make sense.
Read it again, with the whole sentence :slight_smile:

Wholesome, that whole sentence, like Callard and Bowser’s (??) English toffee. A Wholesome Confection.

Dear OP, use the same caution that you would use in the States and you won’t go wrong, except assume that every motor vehicle is trying to kill you.

Don’t mess around with gangs (especially if it concerns money) and you’ll be fine. Just have eyes in the back of your head when walking around because scooters likes to sneak up on you (and its almost like they’re trying to run you over).

Taiwan does have guns in the hands of criminals. The average citizen does not. Going out late at night alone far from your apartment may not be very wise. Often you’ll be ignored or mistreated like they mistreat each other. Other times you’ll be stared at like the red-bottomed baboon at the zoo. Rarely is any harm intended, but carelessness by others has to be watched out for.

Let me qualify that guns are in the hands of criminals here, but not in the numbers that are found in the USA, if that’s where you’re coming from. You’ll likely never see a gun except on a cop or armored car guard.

Most people will not bully you -except really nasty landlords or store owners, but those are spotted a mile away- as most people are either too curious about you -not much exposure to foreigners- or simply terrified you will speak Englsih to them.

The city is safe in terms of violent crime -very low rates- and most people know that even if they shake you upside down, the average foreigner doe snot have enough money to bother “shaking him down”. Women are rarely the object of unwanted attention as in Latin America and other places, and the occassional creep can be put under control by local polkice -who are usually not that efficient when it comes to traffic and stuff, but will jump at the chance to save face and look like heroes in front of foreign and local masses.

That said, the greatest challenge to your safety will be crossing the road at the light and making it to the other side in one piece. Attention must be mantained at high alert, as scooters atke over the sidewalk. Do wear seat belts inside vehicles at all times. For the sake of your investment in braces and plastic surgery, get a good helmet if you will ride a motorcycle.

In summary, most of us girls feel quite safe here -going to the supermarket at night, ahnging out with fiends late into teh evening and walking home, crowded places, etc…- but common sense precautions still apply -no open purses on the MRT or department stores. If it is something you wouldn’t do back home -let a stranger buy you a drink, duh!- then don’t do it here. That simple. This is a nice place where you can make friends with the locals, and they’ll be happy to show you the ropes. Most furriners, too, are willing to help. So don’t be afraid to reach out if you decide Taiwan is for you.

If you’re a teenage girl I’d be more worried about the Western guys hitting on you than anything else.

Or the occasional creepy crazy older Taiwanese guy… One of my American female friends had a Taiwanese guy try to hug her and “be her friend” on the Muzha MRT hahahahaha… Another guy at the church she went to tried to stalk her but failed.
But honestly those events seem to be quite rare. I think most Western guys in Taiwan have yellow fever and aren’t into teenagers, so I wouldn’t worry much about that. American men like myself, at least, tend to date as close to their own age as possible. Or older women :slight_smile:

The only safe thing to do for teenage girls is not let them be too near to my son. They tend to get all wobbly around the knees and do silly things whenst in his presence.

Bully foreigners… no not really. Taipei is pretty safe.

thanks again. :notworthy: …i cant write or read chinese :unamused: but i can speak well…
Da-An District, Taipei
Chung-Shan District,Taipei,
Is this two area nice?..i mean is it convenient or like near any stores?..
I’ll be going to a culinary college. just havent choose the college i like…hehe…any opinion?
so far i found two college coz i cant read or write…but teaching in chinese is fine. I can understand.
Taipei kai-ping culinary school. :slight_smile:
Shih Chien university. :slight_smile:

How will you manage tests if you can’t write? You know, don’t you, that in the Taiwanese education system, EVERYTHING depends on test results. Won’t matter how light your stinky tofu surprise turns out, you won’t get a pass unless you can write it down in Chinese.

Da’an is a major downtown area, so is Chungshan. I think Chungshan might be a bit older and more run-down. Plenty of shops, very busy, etc. Don’t know about “nice” – nice, for me, is FAR, FAR AWAY from shopping areas and busy streets.

Women do get groped on the MRT. Stomped on a fair few feets on the rare occasion I got on that stinking creaky virus-bucket engineering-disaster-waiting-to-happen.

It’s safe enough for old white women like me: I’m very visible and bad people fuck with invisible people, generally. Like any strange city, look confident and don’t take any shit. Try and be assertive without being aggressive with the crazies. If people are in your face, don’t smile or concede any space and let it be known that you will draw attention to whatever’s happening and you won’t be quiet if the line is crossed. A few friends have been assaulted on public transport and when I asked ‘What did you do?’, they just said ‘I got off at the next stop’. it’s easy to be shocked into silence, but if enough women shout and scream and make it embarrassing for the losers, then maybe some will think twice.

Local women always got on my case about my jumping in random taxis instead of calling a company, but I always assumed it was far more risky to have your name and address on a database with people who knew my habits than a random taxi driver. Don’t get in an unlicensed car.

Some people get a bit stalkerish. Casual friendliness can be misconstrued. Have clear boundaries and be careful who knows where you live.

Look out for scammers. Scams that I have seen happen to friends are; fake utility engineers; your gas pipe is faulty, you must pay to have it replaced now because it’s dangerous. Also washing machine repair scams; the landlord is replacing it, we need to remove the old one first. Foreigners are targetted, perhaps, because of poor Chinese skills.

All of this is common sense, really, and you are much safer in Taipei than many places in the world. Da An’s pretty safe, generally speaking, as the others say, the traffic is the most dangerous thing.

[quote=“summer97”]thanks again. :notworthy: …i cant write or read Chinese :unamused: but i can speak well…
Da’an District, Taipei
Zhongshan District,Taipei,
Is this two area nice?..I mean is it convenient or like near any stores?..
I’ll be going to a culinary college. just havent choose the college I like…hehe…any opinion?
so far i found two college because i cant read or write…but teaching in Chinese is fine. I can understand.
Taipei kai-ping culinary school. :slight_smile:
Shih Chien university. :slight_smile:[/quote]

There are some bachelor’s taught in English in Taiwan… Like at NCCU
But they are not for cooking.
You’d better figure out what you’re doing about testing before you go!

hi hi…
yea…i guess taiwan is pretty safe. .hehe…will be going there to check it out. Hows the people in taipei?..Friendly?..oh.does anyone know this unviersity. “Mingdao university”…any comment?..is it a good uni or like is the building nice…hahaha…Thanks!

[quote=“summer97”]hi hi…
yea…i guess taiwan is pretty safe. .hehe…will be going there to check it out. Hows the people in taipei?..Friendly?..oh.does anyone know this unviersity. “Mingdao university”…any comment?..is it a good uni or like is the building nice…hahaha…Thanks![/quote]

Friendly? Well, it’s a capital city, so the same as any other, really. Not especially friendy or unfriendly.

hi…
i found a university …but dont know where is it exactly…
369, Wen-hua Rd., Peetow , Changhua, Taiwan,

Is it near taipei??..thx!!