Taiwan - The Heart of Asia

So here it is a long, overdue blog.  It's hard to believe I have been here for 5 months. The moment I arrived on this island, I instantly felt at home. I guess initially being placed in an apartment with a balcony overlooking the mountains certainly helped settling into a new place much easier. I live in Xizhi, which is a small district outside of Taipei.  It's a nice place to live, with the hiking just right out my door and the hustling, bustling city of Taipei a quick 17 minute train ride away.

Taiwan has the best of both worlds; the hustling bustling city...

...and the peaceful nature

Since I've arrived, there have been 3 typhoons and 2 earthquakes (that I have felt at least). Of course the typhoons are always a bit dramatized by the news; placing the journalist on top of a cliff next to an ocean. Well, I'm not there. I am safe and sound inside of an apartment building (even if does sway back and forth a bit). There may be no 'snow days' but at least we have 'typhoon days'. One of which was spent at KTV, a karaoke entertainment establishment, which is basically a bunch of friends singing our hearts out together in a private room (mostly 80's love ballads. haha). Our umbrellas blew away, so we had to tackle the weather wearing ponchos.

Some colleagues and I

street in Jiufen

restaurant in Jiufen

 So here, I'm keeping quite busy outside of my 35 hours of teaching kindergarten. Taiwan is a great place to expand my knowledge in learning more about eastern philosophy, religion, medicine, and practices.  I attend qigong, yoga, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) classes weekly.

street food

Coming here after living in China for 18 months is … well quite a breeze. They are both mandarin speaking lands and both share Chinese cultural and social characteristics. However with over 60 years of political separation, Taiwan and China have both culturally and socially evolved very differently.  To begin with, Taiwan is a much easier place for a westerner.

Long Dong

My housemate Gizelle (Ohio) and I at LongDong

Here are some of the main differences I have found between mainland China and Taiwan:

•  Restaurants- People in China would shout across the restaurant to get the attention of the waiter if they had to.. ‘Fuyuan!!!!!!!’ People here just shake their head in disbelief at the inconsideration of the mainlanders, and wait patiently for the waiter to come to them or kindly go get them.

View of the Taipei 101 (the second tallest building in the world)

•  Laid back atmosphere-  Taipei has all the amenities of a large international city but at a much slower pace. In China, I remember fearing for my life every time I got in a taxi or saw them on the street. There I often got pushed out of lines at restaurants or while getting on the bus.  Everyone there seems to be in a rush and consequently can’t afford to stand in line or yield to other drivers.

My coworker Heather (Kansas) + I on the gondola to Maokong Tea Plantations

•  There is no Great Firewall of China – You can access anything that is blocked in China, such as Google, Facebook, Youtube, etc. You can read all the news, not just the news the Chinese government allows you to read.

The last waterfall of the Sandioling Waterfall Hike

• Religion – Temples that I visited in China were more like sterile artifacts swamped with tourists. Here in Taiwan you actually see devoted worshipers and religion in action. I think it's easier here to gain a better understanding of their culture and religion.

A local farmer at the tea plantation (Maokong)

Cleanliness - Taiwan is cleaner – The streets are much cleaner. You don’t see any spitting or toddlers with their open crotched pants squatting down to poop. People wear surgical masks to prevent from getting diseases. All of my students are required to wear masks and every time they enter the room they have to get antibacterial spray on their hands. Yeah, maybe clean, preventative and cautious but also a little bit OCD if you ask me.

streets in Shifen

·Laws – Laws are actually followed and enforced here. It is not a free for all at the traffic light, like it is in China. Scooters ride in their designated scooter lane, not on the side walk or driving down the wrong way in a one way street. Scooter drivers actually stop at red lights and they wear helmets too.  You’ll still see the occasional rule being broken, like the group of men standing in front of a nonsmoking sign in front of the hospital.  However, in and around the hospital is an exception. There is where you see patients being pushed around on stretchers with their IV hooked up to them and pee bags to the side.

Jiufen

Hike in Jinguashi

More Westernized – The culture of Taiwan is a blend of Confucianism, Han Chinese, European, Japanese, Amiercan, and aboriginals. It’s an interesting mix of both traditional and modern.  There are a good amount of expats here. I’m not a zoo exhibit here – In China, people were constantly trying to sneak my picture.  They’d sometimes ask to get a picture of me. In Taipei, they are used to seeing foreigners. Also, they are more into taking selfies than sneaking a picture of a random foreigner. It is also easier to get around because so many people here speak English. The people are friendly, accommodating and want to help the foreigner be comfortable and happy in their country.

 

So I guess you can say I love living here much better for many different reasons. I’m not saying I didn’t like living in China. I had a wonderful experience there as well and it helped me get to where I am today. What I can safely say is living there first makes this place feel more like a paradise.

 I try to get out of the city as much as I can, whether it be relaxing on the beach or going on a hike. Or well, since I live in Taiwan… you can do both in one day. There is a lot of hiking along the coast creating great views of the beautiful Pacific ocean underneath. The options are endless for an outdoor enthusiast like myself. 

 

A big part of why I love it here so much… My students! I get to hang out with 4 year old kids all day. I have 19 students with the help of 2 Taiwanese co-teachers, aka my life savers, that assist when a kid pees their pants or throws up their lunch (which happened too frequently the first few weeks) The CT’s are both wonderful and have been great in helping me control the class.  These kids came to school 5 months without knowing any English, so it's really nice to be able to measure their progress. I’m their full time kindergarten teacher; so I’m not only teaching them English I’m teaching them life skills, morals, etc.  One of my favorite things about the job is preparing them for role plays every 8 weeks. Right now, the kids are acting out the Ugly Duckling. For the end of the year, we will do Lion King (picked based on how stinkin' cute these kids will be in animal outfits. hehe)

Some of the Panda class making marshmallow ants for a cooking activity

With kids you just never know what you’re going to get. I’ve had kids tell me that my hair is crazy or that my nose is long. They have a nice way of picking out your flaws; kids holding my belly and asking about a baby or trying to pick away at that zit on my face. 

The Panda Class - at our outdoor outing to the track

 It’s a nice balance though and they always seem to make up for it especially when you hear ‘I love you and I’ll miss you' and get hugs from them when they lay down for their nap. I remind them, I'll see you in one hour..... 

Oh, beautiful Taiwan...

Although I say, 'this is so bizarre' almost weekly (referring to something I see here), this place is a very special place... If only it were a little bit closer to home....

Anyway, I hope everyone is well. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas! It feels a little strange saying it now as I sit in 78 degrees and sunny weather today..