[quote=“Ironman”]I enjoy telling people my girlfriend goes to the local market and buys 80 dumplings for 100nt and we make 3 meals out of them. Around a single USD 1.00 for 2 people to be well fed.
On the other side, the weather drives me crazy. I miss nice blue sky mild days and do have an exit plan to keep my sanity.[/quote]Just flipped onto this thread as I was doing some money conversion. As of midday:
Thursday, May 19, 2005
100 Taiwan Dollar = 3.20513 US Dollar
100 US Dollar (USD) = 3,120.00 Taiwan Dollar (TWD)
Median price = 0.03182 / 0.03205 (bid/ask)
Minimum price = 0.03177 / 0.03186
Maximum price = 0.03200 / 0.03210
Chun - You need to understand we don’t “owe” you anything - not an explanation, not a reason, and certainly not our time. You don’t get people to interact with you by pounding them on the head.
I agree with just about everyone else has said - this is my home - where I live and interact with the world. That’s good enough for me. If I’m talking with a friend, I typically will say a lot more. That’s if I’m talking with a friend, not an anonymous person treating me like a lab rat.
Jefferson, you dont have to answer the question if you don’t want to. Your answers aren’t important to me anyway. “Shi Ban.”
Jdsmith - snippy? I’d think the other posts are “snippier” than mine. As for people who don’t want to answer the question, they dont’ have to. I don’t understand why people complain about not wanting to answer this question and then go ahead and leave a post in this thread. No one is forcing anyone to write anything.
And the reason why I didn’t ask where everyone was from is because that’s not my question. My question was, “Why are you here?” And I didn’t WANT long answers, as you can tell from the short question. Simple as that. Everyone is here for different reasons. As you can tell from most of the short replies, it’s all either because of work, marriage, or because they just like the place. Good enough.
And like Omni said, this is mostly all just for fun, some simple opinions. I guess for those who take it too seriously need some more fun in the sun.
Chun, honest enough. For those of us that have been here a while it’s a question the locals ask to no end. There’s the commonly held stereotype that foreigners are only here to make a quick buck, so it’s usually a loaded question. I saw in another thread that you are contemplating a relocation to Taipei. It’s a great place for so many different reasons to so many different people. Sorry for the scepticism about you’re intentions in asking. Peace, love and happiness.
Citizen, none taken. It almost seemed to me like some of you guys had a chip on your shoulder.
Yes, I’m thinking about relocating back to Taipei. And against the contrary, a huge reason for it is mainly because I like Taiwanese guys. But I don’t think it’s a good enough reason.
Sandman - What is aniseed?
Battery - Did you happen to live in New York prior to Taiwan?
Blah… too many reasons why Taipei is just a great place to live.
And if I may add a thought, the title of the thread itself reveals a complete lack of sensitivity, with an emphasis on the word “sense”. The question is “Why not go home?” The assumption is we’re all fugitives here from the place we “belong”. It seems incomprehensible to the OP that any of us would want to live here.
Well, some of us have been here a long time and are extremely qualified to be and work anywhere we want. We are here because we want to be here. Fini.
Another interesting point is millions of people (including the OP’s parents) either have immigrated to the West, want to immigrate to Western countries, or are in line to do so. A small handful of Westerners take the opposite route and are assumed to be degenerate for doing so. Why this assumption? Food for thought…
[quote=“Jefferson”]And if I may add a thought, the title of the thread itself reveals a complete lack of sensitivity, with an emphasis on the word “sense”. The question is “Why not go home?” The assumption is we’re all fugitives here from the place we “belong”. It seems incomprehensible to the OP that any of us would want to live here.
Well, some of us have been here a long time and are extremely qualified to be and work anywhere we want. We are here because we want to be here. Fini.
Another interesting point is millions of people (including the OP’s parents) either have immigrated to the West, want to immigrate to Western countries, or are in line to do so. A small handful of Westerners take the opposite route and are assumed to be degenerate for doing so. Why this assumption? Food for thought…[/quote]
FYI, I’ve taught English before. It wasn’t hard for me at all, and grading papers was the only time consuming. I made a lot of money doing something very simple. Guess it’s hard for you. Good job on your assumptions.
[quote=“Jefferson”]And if I may add a thought, the title of the thread itself reveals a complete lack of sensitivity, with an emphasis on the word “sense”. The question is “Why not go home?” The assumption is we’re all fugitives here from the place we “belong”. It seems incomprehensible to the OP that any of us would want to live here.
Well, some of us have been here a long time and are extremely qualified to be and work anywhere we want. We are here because we want to be here. Fini.
Another interesting point is millions of people (including the OP’s parents) either have immigrated to the West, want to immigrate to Western countries, or are in line to do so. A small handful of Westerners take the opposite route and are assumed to be degenerate for doing so. Why this assumption? Food for thought…[/quote]
Yeah, I tend to agree. Why do we keep getting told to go home by other foreigners? That’s the one I find bizarre.
Or maybe I got a corporate job at an international company that would help my career?
21p - You THINK you were being told to go home because of some chip off your shoulder. That wasn’t even my intention (ask yourself: why would I care where you are?) but if you took it that way, then that’s your issue.
Could have also been phrased. “Why are you here? What makes you stay?” (Which I think would have made more sense and would have brought out a more positive reaction.) I would have also capitalized the Ws so it didn’t look like it was written by a forum newbie. I’d also stop telling everyone they have chips on their shoulders.
But that’s just me.
I’ll open up a little more to keep things on topic.
[ul][li]Taipei seems to have a lot more opportunities to do different things than back home (work and leisure).[/li]
[li]I have a lot more time to pursue things that interest me than I would back home.[/li]
[li]I like learning Chinese.[/li]
[li]I’m in very close to a lot of different countries (and cultures) that are only a short plane ride away. (I lived right in the middle of the US.)[/li][/ul]
I wouldn’t worry about some guy who thinks he’s “made it” because he landed a “corporate” job… Whooo Hooo, he’s got a career… So what? You own a business.
I really don’t understand this condescension exhibited by so many towards others who perform one sort of work or another. Who cares what other people do?
Must be a lack of self-confidence that causes some to be critical of what others do… you know, to try to build themselves up.
Chunli, I’m sure you are well intentioned and all that, and in real life you are probably quite nice, but in this particular thread you have managed to come across as a bit of an idiot.
The comments on English teaching, “quick bucks for not doing much”, and the glories of “corporate life” seemed silly to me.
Maybe you feel I am picking on you unfairly, but you were the one who came into this community and asked these people for their opinions. You got some useful answers (along with the jokes). People have tried to be helpful. Why not be nicer?
)
Whooo Hooo, he’s got a career… So what? You own a business.