Returning to Taiwan: What should I dread? Embrace?

Looks like it’s becoming more certain that the spouse and I will be returning to Taiwan. She’s put in her time here in the US, and now it’s time for a tour of duty of my own.

I’m going to try to get my culture shock out of the way first, for the sake of efficiency. So, what shall I preemptively loathe about living in Taiwan?

–Living in a cold, all-concrete box instead of an apartment with drywall and carpets.

–Not being able to enjoy the non-aquatic horizon. Unlike Texas, where I can look clear to the edge of the dry land with no buildings or mountains intervening.

–The ever-loving DAMP.

On the other hand, I look forward to:

–Better career prospects, I hope, now that I’ll be in a place where reading and speaking Chinese is not a mere sideline curiousity.

–More of a “re-nao” environment, and friendlier people.

–Much better Chinese food.

What would you add to my lists, to help me through the four stages of culture shock?

Sam Vimes

Just don’t come with any expectations. It’ll be a whole new ball game.

Missing the big bright sky never goes away.

Which city you going to locate too??

Just come with the food you can’t live without. I guareentee it won’t be here.
Just come with the shoes and clothes you know you can’t find.
Just come with a good sense of humor
Just come with an open mind
Just come with an added dose of patience and more sense of humor

Just come :smiley:

Don’t forget to let us know your arrival time and flight number.

That way we can have the Forumosa Happy Hour at the arrival lounge. That means you should arrive on a Tuesday night after 9pm.

[quote=“Sam Vimes”]
On the other hand, I look forward to:

–Better career prospects, I hope, now that I’ll be in a place where reading and speaking Chinese is not a mere sideline curiousity.

–More of a “re-nao” environment, and friendlier people.

–Much better Chinese food.

What would you add to my lists, to help me through the four stages of culture shock?

Sam Vimes[/quote]

You are in for quite a disappointment. I wont go in to details, but I do want to point out that you will be moving to a country where everyone speaks Chinese. Your language skill that was unique in your home country is a trate even the severly retarded have mastered in Taiwan. The food ranks somewhere between snot and swill. Finally, don’t mistake the locals’ curiousity for kindness, its definately not.

My, what a positive view, you have! The OP seems to speak English rather well :wink: so the combination of speaking Chinese and English might be a selling point, doncha think?

There’s good and bad, good and bad.

Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. I’ve met generous, open, giving people here and I’ve met complete bastards.

Sorry you had a bad time here but not all of us feel that way. Personally speaking I’m not planning on leaving for the next few years at least.

[quote=“EscapedFromTaiwan”][quote=“Sam Vimes”]
On the other hand, I look forward to:

–Better career prospects, I hope, now that I’ll be in a place where reading and speaking Chinese is not a mere sideline curiousity.

–More of a “re-nao” environment, and friendlier people.

–Much better Chinese food.

What would you add to my lists, to help me through the four stages of culture shock?

Sam Vimes[/quote]

You are in for quite a disappointment. I wont go in to details, but I do want to point out that you will be moving to a country where everyone speaks Chinese. Your language skill that was unique in your home country is a trate even the severly retarded have mastered in Taiwan. The food ranks somewhere between snot and swill. Finally, don’t mistake the locals’ curiousity for kindness, its definately not.[/quote]

Oh, come on, don’t sugar coat it, give it to him straight, he can take it!!

Bring lotsa Pearl & Shiner.
And Mrs. Renfro’s salsa.

You been here before…you know the drill.

Embrace Lin Tai Tai, she can’t stop lovin’ you.

Forumosa II is still around.

Not a very helpful bunch, i guess that’s a change right there Sam Vines. How long you been away? I vaguely recall your links with Taiwan going right back.

Actually I’m curious too, cos it does seem to me that Taiwan sounds like a far less friendly place than I recall it. This wasn’t matched with my experience on my recent trip back, nby the way, rather the moaning on Forumosa.

Somethings I can see happening, like nationalism and it’s impact on a tighter job market, less scope for whitey (or darky, esp after reading ImaniOU’s job hunt woes! Yikes!). More cops on the roads . . . that was my perception before leaving just over two years ago. That’s a good and a bad of course. Sadly the bureaucracy seems worse, if anything.

Positives to me seem to be an incredible array of quality eateries and the wider availability of food you previously never found. Is that it? Nah, c;mon . . . Any others? Help a man out here.

HG

Ditto to HG’s comments - I first came here in 95 and it was an optimistic place back then, if a lot more uncomfortable to live in from a material point of view (no MRT, trash all over the place, etc). A combination of 5 years of economic retrenchment and political polarization (not necessarily linked) have put paid to that optimism, I’m sad to say. You have to line-up for decent jobs now - 10 years ago, the work would line-up for you. I’ve been back and forth twice from Oz since 2001, with the most recent return to Taipei in early 2004. If I had the choice again, the last bit of continent-hopping would have landed me in Shanghai.

Still, there’s always room for one more here in the pit. Good luck with the shift Sam,

GT.

Probably worth noting the name the underimpressed poster uses. Some people fail to make a success of things here, so for them it possibly does feel like an escape when they throw in the towel. Face it, if all YOU got to eat was snot and swill, I’m betting you’d be pretty pissed off, too.

Well, there’s a lot to go around!

Hexuan? But he eats like a friggin’ king?

HG

Welcome back. Enjoy.

you know its funny I look back to when I arrived here 3 years ago with not much more than enthusiasm and a positive attitude and yet now I’m much less happy than I was yet I’ve got much more.

In this country I really do believe the opportunities exist for foreigners to do something special. All you really need is a positive attitude and an open mind. I think to a large degree it also makes a difference who you associate with.

[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]
Actually I’m curious too, cos it does seem to me that Taiwan sounds like a far less friendly place than I recall it. This wasn’t matched with my experience on my recent trip back, nby the way, rather the moaning on Forumosa.

Somethings I can see happening, like nationalism and it’s impact on a tighter job market,

HG[/quote]

It’s the same as it’s always been. Just more whining by newbies.

Welcome Back!
I also recall your posts and wondered where you’d gone.
Things have changed somewhat. Some for the better. For example, it’s now possible to get resonably good Western food at a “somewhat” resaonable price. (read “too damn much”) The ARC rules continue to change slowly and trips to HK for long-termers with steady employment are getting fewer. Some things have changed for the worse. The rumored easy teaching jobs for the new grads and non-grads has, in my opinion, allowed the pay rates to fall behind inflation. Pollution has not gotten better nor has the traffic. The rest, I’m sure you will quickly see when you get back.
Again, Welcome back. I hope I get to see you at a happy hour soon.

I just don’t see the need to sugarcoat sh*t. I never said I didn’t enjoy the time I spent in Taiwan. I never said I was pissed off. I was just offering a more realistic perspective compared to the koolaid drinking lifers. Oh, and please don’t read too much into a name. I hate it when old-timers get their panties in a bundle.

It ain’t all that different, if anything, slightly better, I’d say.
The women are still the best-looking in Asia, if still somewhat style-challenged (some will say there are more big boobs around, some days I think they’re right, but my perspective on that is outside looking in, to say the least).
You can still get a drink 24 hours a day, and drink it pretty much anywhere you want, and for pretty cheap if you ain’t too fussy.
When you ARE feeling fussy, there are actual good bars, not a lot, but those that are, are REAL good.
The Internet makes things like music and culture MUCH easier to stay current with than before.
Baseline medical and dental care are STILL affordable.
Western foodstuffs are rampantly available all over town, so there’s no need for hour-plus sojurns to Tien Mu to pay 15 bucks for expired JellO pudding and stuff.
The cops STILL leave you alone.
If you can manage to get inside the mindset of your average Joe-Bag-of-Dumplings, you can slide along without too much anguish.
More movies, better theaters, and real-ish popcorn.

Which is almost as painful as the smiley optimism of lifers who don’t keep track of the growth figures (and the '00s are a good 3% down on the 1990s). Some of us worry about this place because we care about it.