It’s annoying outside with the sun raining down fire, other than that I’m cool with it.
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Those little plastic inserts make a difference.
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It depends. In many ways Taiwan is a good place to live. And it would be arguably a GREAT place to live with better working life/work culture.
There’s just lots of little bullshittery by the bosses which ruins things—taking the fun away of a 2-day holiday by making you work the saturday before, a general lack of public holidays (especialyl in the summer), a lack of paid holidays by many companies, stagnated wages, low wages in many sectors. It’s 10 times worse for South East Asian workers who get treated as garbage. Really, it’s shameful. An utter embarassment how Taiwan treats its South East Asian workforce.
On the positive side–my place at least, does offer a very good New Years bonus. Very close to a month’s wages. And outside of work, it’s a good place to live—very good and affordable transport. Plenty of parks. Lots of natural scenery. Quite relaxed. Not much casual/petty crime etc.
And of course, it’s probably the best place to be during covid since everything has been opened up since pretty mucht he start, other than a brief semi-lockdown. Even now, things are pretty ok.
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The OP asked about “right now,” not May to August.
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No, if you can go after a year.
I visited in April and it has changed a bit. People are more tight up and I think they weren’t that comfortable around me (they believe foreigners spreading virus).
Taiwanese keep a very low profile here. Their families worries, pressure from Taiwan made them being super careful and they avoid social contacts for long.
I don’t know what media told you, but situation, at least in Germany was always stable and I was able to visit parks, do hiking. Public transportation have always run. Restaurants, gyms were closed, and kindergarten had alway open few groups.
Luckily I was not that effected at all. Maybe others were more. Young people and parents with school kids.
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This is probably the biggest reason not to come over. Coming all the way over here to sit in a room and talk to people on a screen would really suck.
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Many like this now it’s true. Many towns and villages also not welcoming outsiders right now.
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The article doesn’t say they specifically made the people put on diapers:
But yeah, that doesn’t do away with your point. The way it looks, if they had to go, and if they didn’t want to soil their clothing or the floor, they’d have to put on diapers in front of everyone. And yeah, that’s pretty bad.
(Just a thought, but I wonder if our friend 差先生 had a hand in this matter (in full, 差不多先生–I used to call him 阿多, but my respect for him has increased over the years)).
Maybe the back and forth can help the OP in his decision-making.
OP seems to be mainly concerned about the future:
Might actually have the reverse effect. The CECC might just go, ah fuck it, just do whatever you want.
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The sarcasm seeps through… I ate lunch at the 101 basement the other day, and it took me a moment to figure out what seat was open or closed. Then, someone sat across from me and there was a silly barrier that was nose high…
Dang, I forgot about your question. Apologies!
Well, I can’t answer it, really. I’m biased.
When I got here on August 29, 2002, I didn’t much care for this place, to put it tactfully. I didn’t feel I had much choice but to stay here, though. But I can’t always choose whom or what I love, and at some point or other in the time that I’d been here, I noticed that I’d sort of fallen in love with this place. And that’s how it seems for me now.
I’m kind of slow. Maybe some fall in love faster, or get fed up and leave faster, or decide not to come here. But just as you seem sensitive to the unpleasant parts (I don’t see anything wrong with that), you may become sensitive to the good parts. And there are good parts.
All that said, @lostinasia makes some very good points here:
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Dammit it stop stealing my soliloquy…
I can’t say what made me fall in love with Taiwan - that a woman’s voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in Eketahuna. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Taiwan and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your shirt is straightaway a rag. You can hardly remember your name, or what you came to escape from. But at night, there’s a breeze. The Tamsui river is beautiful. You could be forgiven for thinking there was no COVID-19, that the masks were decorative; that only pleasure matters. An ice cold bubble tea, or the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then, something happens, as you knew it would. And nothing can ever be the same again.
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Wait until spring if you can. Taiwan’s not bad if you’re a student, but no one knows what’s going to happen with COVID here this winter: it could be perfectaly fine, but it could also be huge mess. If you’re stable and making cash where you are now, stay on that island of stability until stuff starts to clear. Taiwan will always be here, and Asia will be way better when travel starts to open back up again.
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Hell no. If you’re in a country which appears to be heading back towards the still waters of common sense, stay away from Taiwan.
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But it’s my first offense.
Neva mind. I like to trot it out every few months. First time I’ve updated it to include COVID.
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OK, this is the weirdest pinyin I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying alot.
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You’ve scared me. From now on whenever I write a post, I need to make a mental note that somebody might actually read it.
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Afrikaans for “I have a chicken”.
And not a lot of people know that.
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Has that one ever featured in the “Where Is This?” game? What’s the Cliff Walk?