Am I the only one that doesn’t get stared at?
You do, you just haven’t noticed.
You do, you just haven’t noticed.[/quote]
Oh no… I’m being watched…
I’ve reached the conclusion that either I’ve managed to sonehow switch-off from being stared at, pointed at, and shouted at, or it only happens to some foreigners in some places.
Like you I don’t notice it. So either I’m subconciously ignoring it or it isn’t happening to me. Either way I’m happy 
.
Most healthy response yet. If you aren’t looking at people around you, you will have no idea if they are looking at you.
People globally are stared at. ANYthing out of our ordinary sphere of viewing is a curiosity. We have all being doing this from birth. It is called habituation. Once habituated to a sight, sound or experience we become familiar and bored. New things are exacerbated and become curious. You move overseas… bam, you are a curiosity. You can develop your own coping mechanism, ie stare back, make a comment, go bananas. However, a more useful approach is removal of phenomenon, and you can only do it by not looking for it or really having some Buddha moment where you can see how insignificant 99.99999% of all interactions with strangers really are.
Most people learn to drown out how bloody annoying mosquitoes are. You should be able to drown out a concept (in this case an idea something is wrong/upsetting about being looked at by strangers) if you can drown out a malaria risk. 
[quote=“pgdaddy1”][quote=“williamchung7”]Some of experience described in this thread are similar to my experience in Australia. Some stupid kids or annoyed young teenagers always shouted at me in their vehcile when I was walking on sidewalk. What is the matter walking on the street? Because I am yellow-skin man?
For Taiwanese react to foreigners, one thing I don’t understand is why many Taiwanese people have so intense and high respond? It just looks like Taiwanese never see foreigners before (well it is true). The problem is why some Taiwanese people start talking their behaviour? In Madarin, something like:
他們這樣做好新奇喔!好有趣喔!
Are you in the zoo and is looking animals? :no-no:
By the way I am Taiwanese.[/quote]
It’s good to have a local Taiwanese person on this forum, William. Welcome.
We need your help to spread the message to your Taiwanese friends that us laowai just want to be treated like normal human beings ![/quote]
Well, I just don’t understand why they need this type of intense reaction. Have been in overseas for couple of years, it can be reason. I get use to be with foreigners. By the way, I never learn latin alphabet, but pinyin. If you use latin alphabet to communicate with me, I cannot understand.
the answer to the problem of taiwanese gawking at foreigners is for taiwan to allow more immigration into the country. it would be good for internationalization and a solution to combating the problem of population decrease. only by having more weird looking foreigners residing in the country will taiwanese get used to looking at them and stop gawking at them.
You do, you just haven’t noticed.[/quote]
Oh no… I’m being watched…[/quote]
Actually it’s dolan.
No escape from the Dolan.
If I have ever been gazed at here, then yesterday was the first time I’ve ever noticed. I was turning serious heads yesterday morning as I was walked to the Taipei City Hall metro station. Honestly the wonderment on those people’s faces were so blatant it really was pushing borderline offensive. :raspberry:
I mean c’mon, I am a freaking human being and have parents just like any one of you losers! Seriously.
…Although to be fair, it could be the fact that I was wearing a pair of shorts, sandals, an unzipped light track jacket with the sleeves rolled up, and carrying a (large) delicious serving of froyo. 
I always get gawked at by the white folk. Maybe its coz they are so surprised to see another whitey. In Taipei, i havent noticed getting stared at that much by the locals.
If you look like your avatar, that would explain why! 
This. I think many of the stares I get this time of year are not because I’m a foreigner, but because I’m dressed so “strangely” - i.e. without a long-sleeved jacket. Somewhat quoting another thread, how can I not know how bizarre I look, sitting on the train in 20 degree temperatures without wearing a winter coat?
If you look like your avatar, that would explain why! [/quote]
Hehe, i’m only marginally less noticeable than Sean. But i should maybe stop wearing the boots…swap em for a pair of sandals.
If you look like your avatar, that would explain why! [/quote]
Hehe, I’m only marginally less noticeable than Sean. But i should maybe stop wearing the boots…swap em for a pair of sandals.[/quote]
It could be the ponytail as well.
I think the “gawking” issue becomes far worse if you are wearing a suit. I became very wary of Taiwanese ,both Women and Men? saying how handsome i looked (at 49 year old it was rather flattering) I have subsequently realised that for handsome…they mean smart. ( damn) It is meant as a compliment,genuinely, but not quite as strong as our interpretation of the word handsome,which refers more to physical beauty.
I like Taiwan. It makes me feel good! and ,normally! the weathers better,so gawk away for me.
So far i am lucky not to have heard any negative Taiwanese comments (and i think i know most of the “bad” words in Taiwanese)
We are mesmerised by the strangest things in life…like spoons 
[quote=“shiadoa”]
We are mesmerised by the strangest things in life…like spoons [/quote]
Has TomThorne not given you that spoon yet, laddie? I think you are ready for ownership of one now.
[quote=“superking”][quote=“shiadoa”]
We are mesmerised by the strangest things in life…like spoons [/quote]
Has TomThorne not given you that spoon yet, laddie? I think you are ready for ownership of one now.[/quote]
No superking he has not 
I want the spoons,I need the spoons,I am seriously starting to wonder if the for sale thread was genuine at all