I have been living in Taiwan for 4 years now so I have seen what Taiwan has to offer. I know there are good and bad in every country but there are some things here that just irate me and gets my blood boiling. Here are some things that come to mind. If anyone has similar experiences or have some advice on the following please let me now.
Traffic/Road Safety - I know most foreigners find it difficult getting use to the traffic and the way that most Taiwanese drive. My first two years I had a scooter as transport and luckily only had one accident but many near misses. The last two years I have been using a car and thus been driving on the National Highways and seen some appalling driving. My general conception is that Taiwanese have no general sense of driving or driving etiquette. I have seen things that would generally be classified as idiotic and stupid to things that are just mind boggling. From driving through red traffic lights to turning left from the extreme right hand lane. Drivers don’t follow general “traffic laws” of following distances between vehicles, drive in the emergency lane of freeways, overtake when overtaking seems impossible, make three point turns at traffic intersections, change lanes without indicating, don’t follow road signs like continuing driving from a turning lane and thus causing all vehicles to move one lane to the right and thus being hazardos to scooters. Every day driving to work is an experience for me and by the time I get to work I seem stressed and irrated. :fume:
Roads-I live in Taichung and drive on Wunchin Road daily. I often remark to my girlfriends that I don’t need to go to the fun park as driving on roads in Taiwan is more than a rollercoaster ride!!! Most roads have holes, bumps, ditches, moon craters etc that we keep bouncing up and down as we go on our merry way. Don’t waste your money on going to the fun park-just drive on Taiwanese roads. :happybiker:
General manners - Generally Taiwanese are friendly towards foreigners but I am sometimes astonished at the behavior of Taiwanese towards their own people. I hardly hear or see people say “Thank you” or “Please”. Is it just me or did I miss something.
Garbage cans - I can never find a garbage can to dispose of my trash. What is the take on this? Do they want me to litter???
I know most people would say well go back to your own country if you are not happy with this but I am planning on living in Taiwan for a while and even though I am a foreigner I do pay taxes to the government and would like to live a more civilized life.
[quote]I hardly hear or see people say “Thank you” or “Please”. Is it just me or did I miss something.[/quote]Yes you did. I know it’s a cliche, but you’re in a different culture. Perceptions and execution of etiquette and manners are going to be different.
I don’t know about the please/thank you thing. I hear plenty of thank-yous when I or others (Taiwanese) do something beyond what people generally do for each other. Then there are lots of “thank-you”'s.
Personally, I think law enforcement should step up and really crack down on bad driving. People should start losing their license and having their cars towed when parked in a traffic lane. I see police completely ignore flagrant violations. If people started losing the right to drive, they’d take things more seriously. I think a combined media approach and very serious law enforcement apporach would straighten the place out.
Maybe change does need to come from the foreign sector initially.
[quote=“Tetsuo”][quote]I hardly hear or see people say “Thank you” or “Please”. Is it just me or did I miss something.[/quote]Yes you did. I know it’s a cliche, but you’re in a different culture. Perceptions and execution of etiquette and manners are going to be different.[/quote]\
According to the cultural notes in my Chinese book, you only say “please” and “thank you” to strangers and people you aren’t close with. Supposedly, to show appreciation in Chinese culture is to separate someone from yourself. It’s cold-hearted. Probably has some relationship to the whole saying your last name first tradition.
[quote=“Persephone”][quote=“Tetsuo”][quote]I hardly hear or see people say “Thank you” or “Please”. Is it just me or did I miss something.[/quote]Yes you did. I know it’s a cliche, but you’re in a different culture. Perceptions and execution of etiquette and manners are going to be different.[/quote]\
According to the cultural notes in my Chinese book, you only say “please” and “thank you” to strangers and people you aren’t close with. Supposedly, to show appreciation in Chinese culture is to separate someone from yourself. It’s cold-hearted. Probably has some relationship to the whole saying your last name first tradition.[/quote]
Hmm, I can’t lose my over usage of thank you, excuse me, etc. Most taiwanese seem very happy to hear this and I tend to get a bit of extra service when I do this. If I don’t say these things, I am ignored like everyone else.
It seems that after the Government started chargin’ for the little blue garbage bags they had a real problem with people shovin’ household trash into public cans to try and save the $10N.T.
So in typical Taiwanese Government fashion rather than geting the public or police to solve the problem they just posted a warning sign about household trash and pulled most of the public cans.
I can walk for 3 MRT stations along the pathways and parks on the red line with out seing one can.
I hear people say XieXie and Qing ALL THE TIME.
Actually, I don’t even hear people say XieXie. It is more like XieXieXieXieXieXie.
And MaFanNi (May I bother you for…)
Yes. I agree that the manners are different on many aspects. And I agree that the lack of class seperation means that you have to spend time around the unmannered lower class (and the lower class everywhere is unmannered) but I reallllly must be seeing differently than you in this one. XieXie seems to be a reflex here. Shit you kick someone in the shin they might say XieXie.
And “piesay.” I got that yesterday evening while waiting at the lights at Hsingsheng S. Rd and Heping. Reason was, I was holding up traffic because I saw you crossing the pedestrian walkway above me, so I was waving my arms like an idiot and yelling your name, but you never saw me. Anyway, the lights changed but I didn’t notice until the guy behind me said not “Get a fucking move on, asshole,” which would have been entirely appropriate, but “Piesay, piesay.” Which I thought was nice of him.
That’s a nice yellow shirt you had on, too.
That garbage can thing is a real pisser. I hate to litter and frequently ask lao bans if I can throw my litter in their cans as I walk by.
Everyone always say OK and smiles, so I guess they understand also about no damn public trash receptacles.
Either that or they think the large wai guo walking around looking for a garbage can is humerous…which could well be the case
[quote=“Jonty”]
I know most people would say well go back to your own country if you are not happy with this but I am planning on living in Taiwan for a while and even though I am a foreigner I do pay taxes to the government and would like to live a more civilized life.[/quote]
Don’t mean this as a smart arse remark, but if you want a more civilized life, then be the civilization you wish to see. People only learn or alter their behavior after seeing the impact of different things. And besides, unless you are going to marry and settle down here or get citizenship why bother with what’s ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. If it aint broke don’t fix it.
Maybe I am just OVERLY polite ( :loco: ), but why do people almost never say thank you to:
-bank tellers
-supermarket cashiers etc.
Would you thank these ppl in your country? I certainly would, even though they’re just doing their jobs by taking your money. It’s just common courtesy.
When standing in the refugee-camp queues in Wellcome (what is it with them and under-staffed-ness?), I am a ppl-watcher. 9 out of 10 ppl do not thank the cashier. I reckon 4-6 out of 10 cashiers don’t thank the customer (even worse). I immediately thank the cashier on receiving my change and receipt, and I don’t leave until I get a thank you from him/her. This sometimes means repeating the thanks several times before they bring themselves to utter those hard-to-say words - “xiexie”.
Even teaching adults here, I have to keep reminding them of the magic words - “please” and “thank you”.
Could you repeat that again, please?
Could you speak slower, please?
Yes, coffee would be nice, thank you. (Not just “Coffee.”)
It certainly is not automatic, which does make you wonder.
I agree with DSN. I always thank the cashiers at the convenient stores but usually see people just throw their money on the counter without muttering a single word. Maybe I just was raised differently but it does not cost anything to say “thanks” to someone.
Another thing that I forgot to mention…SIDEWALKS. I understand space is a problem in Taiwan but one can’t walk on sidewalks in Taiwan without walking into a parked car, vendors selling noodles, scooters etc. My question is-If I am forced to walk in the road and a car or scooter knocks me over, who is to blame??? I should not be walking in the road so I guess I am at fault or am I wrong??
Hell yeah. When it’s time for highballs I want a stiff one. Tipping also ensures very good service for future visits. Applies to bars and select clubs only.
From driving through red traffic lights to turning left from the extreme right hand lane. Drivers don’t follow general “traffic laws” of following distances between vehicles, drive in the emergency lane of freeways, overtake when overtaking seems impossible, make three point turns at traffic intersections, change lanes without indicating, don’t follow road signs like continuing driving from a turning lane and thus causing all vehicles to move one lane to the right and thus being hazardos to scooters. Every day driving to work is an experience for me and by the time I get to work I seem stressed and irrated. :fume:
