When I first came to Taiwan, I can remember getting loads of stares and the constant street ‘Hallo’ accompanied by snickering. But in recent years, this seems to have nearly stopped altogether. Is anyone elsewhere still experiencing this, or is this a positive sign Taiwan has become more international in mentality like Hong Kong and Malaysia?
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It’s very different now. Bullies are everywhere.
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When was that? How recent is recent? I’m certainly a mere sprout compared to some of the lifers here, but I’ve been visiting for weeks/months almost every year for ten years now and never heard anything like that. 
OP I think you just don’t have that sparkle in your eye anymore of a new comer anymore. First 5minutes in Taiwan and saw a girl get off a scooter infront of 7 and I just stared wayyy tooo hard haha. She waved at me said Hello and wiggled her fingers as waving too. It was very cute. But things like that happen less and less the longer we get here and blend in. Especially if you are in the Taipei area it will not be a common thing because the rat race of Taipei.
Once a local guy came up to me to chat on the MRT and he said he had lived abroad for awhile and asked how long I had been in Taiwan. The funniest part was everyone staring at us probably wondering if I was being bothered. But the reality was it was a really pleasant and nice experience.
Maybe Covid has also made people a little less anti social too, not just Taiwan but around the world…
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Yeah it’s almost completely disappeared, even in the South, same story.
Taiwanese are WAY less social than they used to.be, really accelerated when smartphones became common.
I used to get halloed everyday in Taoyuan and in the South 2 to 3 times a day. People would even scream it from way across the street or out.of cars but usually from scooters then scoot away! Around year 2000 to 2005 was still common
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I don’t really mind that though how do you feel about it ? For me it depends on my mood , sometimes I don’t want to discuss my life story with a stranger and at other times I don’t mind
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I prefer when Taiwanese were more social.
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I think when more people smoked there was more socializing. And yeah smart phones are a conversation killer (says me now typing on one).
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Yep smoking was a good excuse for a chat.
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My guess is there’s more of ‘us’ now. We’re normalised.
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I don’t think the hallo’ thing was being social though. They never expected any reply.
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That’s German for “Hello” isn’t it ?
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I don’t think there are more Westerners.now, are.there? Very few wherever I lived around Taiwan. Taiwanese are much better travelled though,.probably seen foreign youtubers and reluctant to engage strangers possibly…also population has gotten older.
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Yeah, no more HALLOWs and HOW ARE YOUs these days.
I miss betel-nut-enthused taxi drivers crawling along beside me in nissans that look like they’d been in a minor war, hollering “takeshi, takeshi” at me.
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Flashbacks lol…one tried to physically drag me into his cab from a bus stop once! Man those taxis stank to hell。good ole days eh?
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There are where I live, although I think fewer than before Covid.
Somebody will no doubt post some government stats regarding this.
non smokers?
man i need to join that club sooner than later 
I don’t approach often but when I do the girls usually are pretty amenable to going for a milk tea or a beer. But waiting for a lady to come after me doesn’t result in success ever basically. Shrug. Is what it is.
Over time that’s inevitable.
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Been living in Taiwan for 5 years now and not even a single Halo to me. Not even a stare but then again as a short brown guy, i dont tick the checkmarks for being a “stereotypical foreigner” in taiwan. I blend in too well among the general crowd
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Whenever I got the Hallos I used to like replying with a Konnichwa. It sometimes got good reactions of confusion.
I remember a few times kids shouting F-you from a safe distance and then laughing and running when they thought I was angry. I was just pretending of course but must have really made their day
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