N00b Introduction (longish - dumbish)

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
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rtc_id,

I agree with Sandy that you made a very interesting first post to Forumosa. Good on ya, for writing such a well crafted intro.

I have no doubt that you’ll get a lot of informative replies from people who are in very similar boats to yours - white collar expats with families, and as I’ve never been the former or had the latter, let me sound off on two issues…

First: You’ll find that life in Taiwan can be significantly cheaper than middle class life back in the USA. Not in all ways, but if you are liberally supported by your company, you and your wife should be able to realize one of the main dreams of all white collar expats - more SAVINGS. One of the great things about being a business expat abroad is the opportunity to get away from all the spending pitfalls in the States, and to take advantage of some of the U.S. government’s tax breaks for U.S. citizens who reside abroad [This is a fairly complex issue that some Formousans are very knowledgeable about, so ask around].

To help give you some context to relate to, I’d be surprised if ANY of the local staff of your Taiwan branch earns more than $60K/year. That’s a pretty good upper management income in Taiwan, and most people earn less, or a lot less than that. (Expat, white collar, managerial Forumosans can probably be more precise about salary ranges in companies in the ROC, but my point is that the country is geared up for a lower pay range than what you are used to in the States, and you’ll find that your US based income will go relatively far)

Second: I can

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I like you rtc_id Rob. Glad you’re part of our community. :slight_smile:

Here’s a guy who did his homework, tries hard not to be an “ugly American” and offers us drinks to boot! What is there not to like? :beer:

I understand you’re in the XinYi district Rob. So, there’s a couple of cool pub crawl opportunities nearby. There’s the Taipei Sports Bar, a very friendly and cozy bar near the corner of Anhe and Le Li Rds (across the street from Wellcome market and 7-11). Ray, the TSB proprietor, is a contributor. Nearby is also the Carnegie, a favorite hangout place, but don’t bring the wife and kids Wednesday nights. :astonished: Do bring them for their weekend brunches :smiley:. Bob is Carnegie’s General manager. Both fellows are contributors to the Restaurant, Bar and Club forum. Also, Taipei Sports Bar and Carnegies are near the Far Eastern Hotel. You could even walk it.

Ask away,

  • The Forumosa Welcome Committee
    :smiley:
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[quote=“rtc_id”]
How’s the Brotherhood’s English? It will be a while until we have any usable Mandarin phrases at our disposal. The intention is to start learning as soon as we get the all clear to ship out.

I’m pretty sure my colleagues will help. I’ve given a couple of them some technical training back at the farm. Little did I know at the time that this would go down…[/quote]

Well, there’s a thread for kids friendly restaurants [url]Kid-friendly restaurants

I know there was a thread that had the McDonald’s menu in Chinese, but some how I’m not lucking out as to where it is.

7-11’s is ubiquitous and as they say, “7-11 hen hao” meaning it’ll be your one-stop shopping for generally anything until you get more acclimated to your new surroundings.

Taipei is as public transportation friendly as NYC. Meaning, you can get anywhere you need to by bus or MRT. No need for wheels. Lots of possible locations for you to live permanently with kids. Depends on how close you want to be to the office, schools, family amenities (like parks, shopping, transportation access).

You’ll find Forumosa to be really a small and welcoming expat community. If you like the outdoors, there’s Mucha Man who is the Travel forum Moderator who can suggest outdoor activities. If you don’t already know, the Tianmu, Ren Ai, and XinYi areas of Taipei would be the most friendly for Westerners who like to perserve as close of a Western modern living as possible.

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[quote=“answerer”]I haven’t heard of a taxi abduction since around 1998 or so.quote]

There was one four or five months ago. I think the girl got away by telling the cabbie she had to go to the bathroom. China Post I think.

rtc_id, nice to have you with us. I’m from Idaho too (Hailey) and I’ve made a resolution - whether speaking with Taiwanese, Americans, or whatever, I’m not explaining where it is any more.
We’ll see how long that holds up.

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[quote=“jplowman”] I’m from Idaho too (Hailey) and I’ve made a resolution - whether speaking with Taiwanese, Americans, or whatever, I’m not explaining where it is any more.
We’ll see how long that holds up.[/quote]

How many times do you have to explain to fellow Yanks the difference between Idaho and Iowa? Hell, if Americans can’t figure out where Idaho is, how can you expect anyone else to?

My pop’s family is from northern Indiana. They only know Ohio, Illinois and Lake Michigan.

It makes me chuckle, all the same. At least folks know about our potatoes…

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[quote=“rtc_id”][quote=“jplowman”] I’m from Idaho too (Hailey) and I’ve made a resolution - whether speaking with Taiwanese, Americans, or whatever, I’m not explaining where it is any more.
We’ll see how long that holds up.[/quote]

How many times do you have to explain to fellow Yanks the difference between Idaho and Iowa? Hell, if Americans can’t figure out where Idaho is, how can you expect anyone else to?

My pop’s family is from northern Indiana. They only know Ohio, Illinois and Lake Michigan.

It makes me chuckle, all the same. At least folks know about our potatoes…[/quote]

Rob,

My folks lived in McCall for years. Gorgeous town. Loved to visit. They’ve moved to the capital city now, where we’ve got other relatives.

Man, this makes me miss a huge Idaho spud, with sour cream, chives, and cheese…

If I was moving to Taiwan with the family, I’d do exactly what you’re doing–lots of due diligence. I think you’ll be able to make a nice life for yourselves here, given your approach.

Let us know what you need additional information on–there are plenty of experienced people around here that can get you answers.

T.

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Years ago back in the States I had an old bud from Iowa who had a T-shirt that proclaimed “Idaho State University at Iowa City, Ohio.”

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I’d bring you a bag, but I don’t think it would clear customs. They are good though, especially when you’re on a low carb diet.

[quote=“Tomas”]
If I was moving to Taiwan with the family, I’d do exactly what you’re doing–lots of due diligence. I think you’ll be able to make a nice life for yourselves here, given your approach.

Let us know what you need additional information on–there are plenty of experienced people around here that can get you answers.

T.[/quote]
I’m really impressed with the gang on this forum. I hope this all comes together so I can get “in country” and shake a few hands. I’ll keep researching until I’ve figured it all out which means I’ll be at it forever and I’m cool with that.

Later

NP: You Got Me Runnin’, Def Leppard, High and Dry (really)

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Humpfh. Go Cougs. Woohoo.

Come on in, the water’s fine, even if Sandy did pee in the pool.

Just noticed that nobody has mentioned Alleycat’s yet, even though Alleycat posted something – I guess he’s too modest (hah!). He makes excellent pizza, something that you will miss from the U.S. The local stuff mostly makes (U.S.) Domino’s seem like real food.

Tangent to the cabs, I’ve heard that pepper spray (OC, Cap-Stun, etc.) is available here, but I haven’t seen any yet. No idea if it’s legal to bring through Customs, or legal to bring in checked baggage (don’t even think of bringing it as carryon!).

Be aware that guns and drugs are no-no’s here. I didn’t catch how old your kids are, but be sure to explain to them that this is not the U.S. where they will get their hands slapped if caught; in Taiwan they will be deported at the very least, and quite possibly jailed for a while before they’re shipped out. I don’t care if you think they’re “good kids”; my cousin was a “good kid” and smoked more pot than anyone else I knew in high school. Tell them, and make sure they know it’s serious. No games, no “but Daaady, I didn’t knooooow!” as the Customs agents drag them out of your sight.

As far as the firearms, dunno if you have any, but I had to check my bags several times to make sure I hadn’t accidentally left a few rounds of .22LR in a side pocket. Especially since one of them is one of my range bags for boomershoot.org/ Why did you say you’re moving away from Idaho again??

You will find that it is hotter than Hell here for the whole damned (theologically speaking) Summer. Bring extra cans of deodorant if you have a strong preference. I ran out of Right Guard last week and my coworkers are complaining. You might want to plan to look hard for a washer and dryer, and to get a place with enough extra space to hold them, as frankly the standard Taiwanese appliances don’t get clothes clean. Same goes for the “commercial” machines in the laundries and coin-ops here. I haven’t found a satisfactory solution yet.

The body styles have been going downhill since the mid-1970’s Stingray.

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Excellent advice. My friend told me that he’s never found any deoderant, anti-perspirant in Taiwan. :ponder: I haven’t looked that closely but it appears to be correct. He had to ask friends from the US to bring it over. So I loaded up on Old Spice High Endurance. If you’re a person who needs it in this sweltering humidity, then bring a dozen. Who knows, you might be able to sell it to MaPoSquid here :wink:

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Excellent advice. My friend told me that he’s never found any deoderant, anti-perspirant in Taiwan. :ponder: I haven’t looked that closely but it appears to be correct. He had to ask friends from the US to bring it over. So I loaded up on Old Spice High Endurance. If you’re a person who needs it in this sweltering humidity, then bring a dozen. Who knows, you might be able to sell it to MaPoSquid here :wink:[/quote]
The stuff is available here; I just prefer to stay with what I’m used to. This is why I still buy Ivory at 2X the cost of the local soaps. Unfortunately, Right Guard isn’t imported AFAIK, but there are lots of local brands.

Quality is another issue. I bought some “Pert” shampoo here, after running out of what I brought from Seattle. The local stuff (1) doesn’t clean as well, (2) has a weird smell to it, and (3) is a white color, not the trademark pale green of the stuff in the U.S. I’m betting that I bought a “counterfeit” bottle.

As for Right Guard, the orangey-brownish can, by preference. Largest size available. My coworkers will pay you big bucks to get it for me. :smiley:

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Oh, almost forgot – get yourself and your family vaccinated for HepA, HepB, and Japanese Encephalitis before you come over. It might be a little hard to find the third in the U.S., so have a backup plan of getting vaccinated soon after arrival.

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They have Costco here and that is where we just bought some deodorant - Gillette Clear Stick. Seems to work fine…

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Also try the Philipino shops on ZhongShan Rd - they stock deodorant too.