Real Taiwan living experiences they don't tell you about

[caleb]

I already used the word “whine,” you have to choose a different one lol

[TT]

@caleb

I already used the word “whine,” you have to choose a different one lol

i did that on purpose. i like throwing people’s words back at them so they know how it feels. don’t whine about it, deal.

[lostinasia]

@caleb

After reading the article I wrote one of my own Rich White People in Taiwan, Please Stop Whining and have received messages threatening a libel lawsuit as a result

Thanks for the (longer than expected!) read. I enjoyed it.

[Brianjones]

I also detest people using colour as a way to demean people and get attention for themselves.
Shame on you.

Loans for foreign residents in Taiwan

I’ve been trying to get a personal loan recently and my understanding is now that foreigners are legally not permitted to receive personal loans here (this may not be correct it’s just what many repeated to me). It doesn’t matter if you are a resident or not or if Taiwanese will act as guarantor. I believe the only loans that they will permit are house loans (for purchasing houses in Taiwan only ) or company backed loans where the foreigner has opened a company here in Taiwan. This is extrem…

[Brianjones]

@caleb

As a rich immigrant I have very little sympathy for other people with lots of privilege

Screw your privilege.

Where’s the ‘privilege’?

You state it now time to back it up.

Privilege to get discriminated against ?

You obviously know very little about Taiwan read my thread linked above.

[caleb]

Specifically white male privilege, you seem like a learned fellow, here’s some light reading: White privilege - Wikipedia

[Brianjones]

I don’t believe in it here. Read my thread and tell me about my white privilege…

[TT]

@caleb

Specifically white male privilege, you seem like a learned fellow, here’s some light reading: White privilege - Wikipedia

lol, will that help him get a bank loan in Taiwan? Seems you’re having difficulty keeping up. You seem like you’re a Kendiangelo fan

[dark.horse]

It seems to me that both articles have at least some valid points but suffer from a tone, kind of finger pointing, problem. It’s always best to start with the positives and then move to suggestions for improvement. In the original article it is very deep into it before the words “On a more positive note…” are heard. And if you want any credibility you don’t use “By Meet Global Agencies” as your authorship.

@Aikaili

Every place usually has good and bad. Taiwan isn’t a utopia but it is great for what I want to do now. I hate the corruption and that landlord’s cheat the system while a company worker cannot. I hate the way that I am treated at banks.

Can you expound on what corruption and poor treatment at banks you are referring to? I’m not disagreeing, I’m just genuinely interested because I’ve never experienced corruption here and, while I agree with those who noted the old mindset of the banking systems here I’ve never had bad treatment at one. In fact, one bank that I have a (small) investment with treats me like a prince. I’ve also never had any problems with landlords (though I only had two before I bought an apartment).

“It is encoded in our DNA.”

Please, what century is the reference to, 50-80 years ago? Many American young people don’t want to own/drive cars now. And it just doesn’t equate to Taiwan, Taipei especially, as things are not so spread out. Public transportation is one of the great things here. I have a scooter that I drive less and less here and personally I wouldn’t own a car with all the attendant headaches if you paid me.

“However, if you’re like me, I value my independence and the ability to hop in my vehicle and go. To a restaurant, to another city, to the beach, 2 pm or 2 am.”

You can get to any of those things at any time via public trans. And there is a sort of rental system for cars now that is like U-Bike (I forget the name but a friend uses it and I’ve ridden with him) where you check the website for the nearest parked car and hop in and drive. Easy and cheap.

So, it’s easy for the Thurston Howell the lll’s to complain and about the “downsides” of life in Taiwan. For me, I’ve only seen things mostly get better (in general) in two plus decades, ever as a member of the hoi polloi.

[TT]

@dark.horse

You can get to any of those things at any time via public trans.

what, are you trains-phobic?!

[Lost.in.space]

@caleb

But considering nobody on a gold card can have been here longer than 3 years at this point…

Not true. You could have been here on an ARC and transfer to the Gold Card

[papertowel]

@dark.horse

Public transportation is one of the great things here.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently and wonder if that’s valid. I find the sheer amount of scooters the antithesis to this statement. There’s people who never even take MRT or any public transit despite being close to a transit hub.

I take public transportation wherever I go…but recently I’ve started to just shell out for taxis because sometimes it saves me an hour or more of my day. I think this will eventually lead to the desire to just own a cheap car.

[squall1]

The only thing I got out of both of those is a curiosity of how the rate of car/scooter ownership has fared over the last 10 years here. Will look into it later unless someone has a quick link to share.

[dark.horse]

@papertowel

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently and wonder if that’s valid. I find the sheer amount of scooters the antithesis to this statement. There’s people who never even take MRT or any public transit despite being close to a transit hub.

That people use it or not doesn’t add or detract from the quality.

@papertowel

…but recently I’ve started to just shell out for taxis because sometimes it saves me an hour or more of my day. I think this will eventually lead to the desire to just own a cheap car.

But taxis are public transportation.

[papertowel]

@dark.horse

That people use it or not doesn’t add or detract from the quality.

Yes the quality is good…for those that live nearby and can afford the time cost. Though for the vast majority of people, I think it doesn’t quite meet their needs. This is expected in a large city. I don’t think it could be much better than it is now.

[Aikaili]

I’d agree with your points. You asked for an example of corruption and the one that I think of is how landlords rarely pay tax on their income properties. If you complain to a local about it, you may frequently hear an excuse for them. That same local person if working at a company will have had the correct amount of taxes taken from their income.
Another example of corruption is the gangster types that are around Taiwan who blatantly stand at the front of a night market (especially in the south). They shake down vendors for protection money. You can’t tell me the police don’t know who these people are.
I do hate all banks in all countries. In Taiwan, I struggled to get a credit card and I finally have them. I am no more of a risk than a large percentage of the population here. I’d love to buy an apartment here but I don’t have that kind of cash to spend and banks will not loan to me. If they would give a loan, it will be higher interest and down payment. I personally know Taiwan founded businesses owned by foreigners who could not get the same Covid relief money to bridge salaries ironically for Taiwanese workers. I’ve never suffered from other’s corruption because I live a boring life.
As for the driving part, I drive but I disagree with the writer of the Taiwanese news article. I think driving is affordable and the taxes are fair. My car insurance costs are much less here than in the US.
Business ownership is fairly simple here. An accountant helped me set up my business before I had permanent residency.
If you are independently wealthy, you will not have any of these problems in Taiwan. If you are married to a Taiwanese, you may have less of these problems.
I think most of us have faced 外國人不行.

[Lost.in.space]

What does that mean? Privileges to work in a cram school as a dancing monkey?

[bdog]

You keep hearing this adulation about how amazing public transport is here, but it is a very small densely populated island, so public transport is in truth a lot easier to set up, and cost efficient to run, compared to somewhere with a much larger land mass, and distant counties/cities.

[Marco]

@papertowel

@dark.horse

Public transportation is one of the great things here.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently and wonder if that’s valid. I find the sheer amount of scooters the antithesis to this statement. There’s people who never even take MRT or any public transit despite being close to a transit hub.

I take public transportation wherever I go…but recently I’ve started to just shell out for taxis because sometimes it saves me an hour or more of my day. I think this will eventually lead to the desire to just own a cheap car.

Almost one in two people in Taipei City take public transport. Traffic used to be much worse.

[KHHville]

@Marco

@papertowel

@dark.horse

Public transportation is one of the great things here.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently and wonder if that’s valid. I find the sheer amount of scooters the antithesis to this statement. There’s people who never even take MRT or any public transit despite being close to a transit hub.

I take public transportation wherever I go…but recently I’ve started to just shell out for taxis because sometimes it saves me an hour or more of my day. I think this will eventually lead to the desire to just own a cheap car.

Almost one in two people in Taipei City take public transport. Traffic used to be much worse.

In early 1990s, taking a bus from around Sun Yat-sen Mem. Park on Chunghsiao E. Road to near Shih-Ta Road on a rainy Friday night would last an hour or more in traffic. Those were the days.