We all freak out sometimes. I don’t want to talk about somone close to me, because some of his friends know what’s up and read Forumosa. But it’s irrevalant to my question. I’m curious about what other people do when they really lose it here, be it staying inside all of the time, a refusal to talk to anyone, eating nothing but Subway for two straight months, and assorted bizarre behavior that has nothing to do with drugs or pre-existing mental disorders.
Can you give me some examples of how life in Taiwan has made people you know really, REALLY mental for some short period of time? What’s the worst thing you’ve seen in this vein?
There are counselors at the Community Center in Tienmu who might be able to help. That’s what they’re there for. Mental health is not just for crazy people.
I don’t want to add to a possible “My friend has gone mental” thread, as this in no way benefits your friend.
Your friend may just need a little help unravelling the ball of yarn that is in his/her head.
I agree with JD on this one. I think what happens is that people here become isolated in way. They are removed from what was familiar and put in an environment that they can’t understand to the same degree.
Perhaps the closest thing to it but perhaps in a far milder sense is solitary confinement… and we all remember in Castaway how the soccerball was turned into the guys friend.
It depends on what you do here too… but Taiwan makes us all a bit crazy from time to time. Thats what we have forumosa for… its not just a source of great information, its an outlet… hence all the rant forums.
Yes, I agree. It’s the isolation that can cause problems.
I think if you started a thread and said “Who hasn’t freaked out in Taiwan” that would be more to the point.
I guess you have to define freak out as well. Closest I got was a combination fo the SARS stress with lots of plane travel and a number of court cases all going on at the same time in completely different fields while dealing with a close loved one suffering a severe mental illness.
If freak out means you stop functioning through being plain tired out/ knackered then I’ve come close.
Eating at Subway everyday. I don’t know how people do it. It’s not that good.
When I was in IT school a lot of students ate there too much. I think that that could be considered as some form of mental disorder. If a person can’t cook at home, there’s something wrong there. Other than cooking at home, you can at least put variety into your eating out. I found myself eating more local food than anything else.
It’s hard to say. People that don’t want to go out and about might just be in some weird state. Sure, it’s not healthy, but what can they do?
If your egg is cracking, at least get outta the city. Head up to the hills, or the East Coast. Find some good local restaurants. Chill out. Sweat. Soak. Sponge.
When The Grand Funk come in, ya gotta break the mold!
Keep on Keepin’ On.
It is the inability to put the word ‘good’ in any sentence containing the words ‘local restaurants’, unless it also contains a negative, that has the biggest impact on my sanity.
I mostly eat at home, cooked from fresh ingredients. Had lunch with a friend at a ‘local’ restaurant last week and an hour later was regretting it. Not food poisoning or anything as dramatic, and the food actually tasted fine. I just felt like crap from all the MSG and whatever else they put into it. I keep a much more even keel if I don’t eat local. I have the energy to deal with the little ups and downs if I’m not dealing with self-abuse.
The real reason that foreigners go weird here is not culture-shock, or even stir-craziness. (Tho’ the latter may be partof it.) The real reason is that you have to be mad to come here in the first place. What sane and well-balanced individual would give up the security of home to go struggle against reality in a country where no-one thinks like ‘we’ do?
Realising that you’re probably a bit deranged makes a lot of difference to how you perceive life in Taiwan. So ‘they’ are not making sense today? Are your expectations and thought processes beyond reproach? Probably not, so screw it. Do your own thing, let them do theirs, and don’t let it get you down.
Fortunately, I’m British. We have a tradition of eccentricity.
Yeah, I should have called this thread “who has freaked out in Taiwan”, or “Tell me some stories about people you know who have freaked out in Taiwan”. But I want to put the emphasis on non-drug-related. Weve had enough of those threads.
Anyway, my friend is exhibiting some bizarre behavior but will pull through. Wish I could tell all, but I can’t. He will be okay, but in the meantime, GODDAMN!! You all know what I mean, right, you’ve seen it in somebody.
I think the recent weather coupled with being cooped up in winter is getting to a lot of people.
So anyway, I would like to hear some stories. How exactly does culture shock manifest itself in different people who don’t numb with substances?
[quote=“j99l88e77”]Eating at Subway everyday. I don’t know how people do it. It’s not that good.
When I was in IT school a lot of students ate there too much. I think that that could be considered as some form of mental disorder. If a person can’t cook at home, there’s something wrong there. Other than cooking at home, you can at least put variety into your eating out. I found myself eating more local food than anything else.
It’s hard to say. People that don’t want to go out and about might just be in some weird state. Sure, it’s not healthy, but what can they do?[/quote]
It gets kinda weird when you ONLY eat Subway for a month straight, perhaps because you crave familiarity or something, and prior to Taiwan you were the kind of person who liked a lot of culinary variety. I mean, it’s harmless to others, but if you notice yourself doing something like this that you know is just ODD, maybe it’s time to take a look at what’s going on in your life.
Well, some weeks ago I head a very unpleasant issue. All the dirt and smell here in the company office (rotten stink from the aircondition, people around me belching constantly so it even stinks), the frequent farts and belches in my wife’s family here, the rotten spit stains in fron of my door, the foul smell of first floor and the foodstall covered “sidewalk” etc. got me an extreme feeling of revulsion when ever a local person of male sex ( ) came close to me.
I know this sounds strange and racial and sexistic, but it is the truth. It was not something I wanted but simply revulsion. I could never really stop it and thus decided 2006 shall be the last BobHonestYear in Taiwan.
I understand if this gets trashed or deleted. It is sure weird.
So I guess I have to leave, not that I really want it, but it is a kind of immune reaction against Taipei. As I was sick from pollution and fungus many times, I can understand my body reaction :s, just strange it gets associated with the people. I guess the male toilet is linked to this subconcious reaction.
Other areas of Taiwan are lovely, but my NeiHu quarter is really filthy.
Don’t you think that some asian people smell different. Like there is an asian smell. I’m not using the word in a derrogatory sense, but its just an observation of mine.
*I am very sensitive to different smells, tastes, sounds which makes me a naturally fussy person
[quote=“Tyc00n”]Don’t you think that some Asian people smell different. Like there is an Asian smell. I’m not using the word in a derrogatory sense, but its just an observation of mine.
*I am very sensitive to different smells, tastes, sounds which makes me a naturally fussy person[/quote]
You mean they don’t smell like fried food and Lipitor?
I wet nuts for about a month some 6 months ago. Yelling at people for touching me and shit.
I have some stranger touch me about every day. At this point it is something I bitch and laugh about. But for a while it just got to a point where I would completely lose it. I started yelling at random people. Luckily I had my roommate to make fun of me for it and turn what was causing me too much stress into a joke.
[quote=“Tyc00n”]Don’t you think that some Asian people smell different. Like there is an Asian smell. I’m not using the word in a derrogatory sense, but its just an observation of mine.
*I am very sensitive to different smells, tastes, sounds which makes me a naturally fussy person[/quote]
My ex always complained that I didn’t smell like an asian girl. I assumed it was a bitch because I don’t wear perfume. I have never noticed a difference.
Actually, the smell I’m talking about, I find unpleasant and its only from Taiwanese guys. Local girls here smell great, even after no showers for days. Not sure about western girls… its been a while
[quote=“Tyc00n”]Actually, the smell I’m talking about, I find unpleasant and its only from Taiwanese guys. Local girls here smell great, even after no showers for days. Not sure about western girls… its been a while
But SAF, if I ever meet you, I’ll let you know [/quote]
I never noticed any such thing, but who knows what the subconciousness picks up.
People here usually have less body transpiration as Westerners, but even a faint small which smells different from home may trigger the subconcious mind to dislike the local males, at least if combined with some additional stress factors (noise, infections/itching).
Yes SuchAFob, I also had such times, being agressive and almost want to hit locals (again the gals excluded, a matter of instinct) who touch me.
Folks, explore your sunconcious mind and immune system, come to Taipei!
I’ve had several freakouts relating to my general ineptitude in this f-ing English teaching game. I’ve been good at everything in my life except for this. Well, haven’t had these problems, anyway.
2 years and I’m just not good at it. It really pisses me off! I’ve never had such a slow learning curve at anything before!
) came close to me.
