One of my American friends had the same trouble about two months ago in the Singapore TECO. They refused to believe that he might want to travel in Taiwan! He explained that language aquisitions is not just about being in the classroom, but hte officer concerned refused to believe him.
[quote=“billy budd”][quote=“derek1978”]I asked if I could have an extendable visa
you know what is scarey? The fact that you (forumoseans) and I know more about Taiwanese law, politics, government offices, etc than the vast majority of Taiwanese people.
I was shocked when my finace didnt know what the BOCA/MOFA/MOE were. When it comes to laws/policies/etc…most taiwanese, i suspect, have the same attitude: just blend in, do what the other fellow is doing and you will be just fine.
When I spoke to my fiance about challenging these laws and making changes in public policy for the good of Taiwan…she responded with a response equal to “dont rock the boat”. He who rocks the boat is most likely to fall out…or get thrown out.
I guess i am going to have to adjust a bit when I come, because I am not the silent type. When I see something that isnt working right I try to fix it. Political OCD i guess.
Part history, part necessity.
Taiwanese had good cause up to not so long ago to keep their head down. With that memory fresh in anyone over 20 years old’s mind, it’s understandable, but it also makes you appreciate the real activists when you encounter them.
There is a lack of a clear rule of law. The Taiwanese way is to blunder along. There are no hard and fast decisions but plenty of exceptions. The task is to winkle your way into the exception category.
As foreigners we have to know what’s going on and challenge for our survival.
Looking forward to you getting in amongst it Derek, but do keep your perspective. You’ll see many a poster here worn down by butting heads with constantly shifting goal posts. Sometimes it really is a relief when you are offered the exceptional guideline, even when you know damned well the poor schmuck following behind is not going to be so lucky.
HG
I just hope Im not the poor schmuck :s haha
I have not even arrived yet, and I already have a greater appreciation for the effort and determined spirit of foreigners here in the US…especially those of less fortunate pasts trying to make something of their future.
So, my plan for now and while in Taiwan…keep my head down, but my eyes open.
Get used to this. In general, the Taiwanese know far less about medical things than does the average American or Canadian. Medical knowledge is considered specialized knowledge, and they won’t have studied even the basics in school. So they really don’t know what the lung X-ray is for, or that unnecessary X-rays should be avoided, or that there are other ways to test for TB, for example.
I’ve met people here - with graduate degrees from good universities, some of them - who don’t know that you can catch HIV from unprotected sex with someone who is HIV positive but symptom-free; I’ve met nurses here who think it is a pointless waste of time to use sterile needles when drawing blood.
Did you tell her the Chinese names for them? I think the MOE at least would be known to almost anyone. If not, at least they could understand what it is the MOE does.
Sorry, just being picky. My wife probably doesn’t know any of these things either if you just give her the English acronym, but she’d be pretty likely to know what they are if you told her the Chinese name. It’s not often that Taiwanese people discuss these types of things in English.
Did you tell her the Chinese names for them? I think the MOE at least would be known to almost anyone. If not, at least they could understand what it is the MOE does.
Sorry, just being picky. My wife probably doesn’t know any of these things either if you just give her the English acronym, but she’d be pretty likely to know what they are if you told her the Chinese name. It’s not often that Taiwanese people discuss these types of things in English.[/quote]
yeah, partly (mostly) my fault. Our conversation was in english…and she really doesnt have a reason to be going to these places or researching them…kind of like i really dont know how Immigrations Office works here in the US until i have a reason to have an interest in it. Thanks for pointing that out…some times it is easy to overlook the obvious… 