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Published: December 19th 2008
Nick in Taipei
Danshui, the northern fringe of Taipei, where the river meets the seaTAIWAN VS. CHINA
I live in the
rebel state of Taiwan. There is no other place on earth with a more controversial status as a nation. One thing I have confirmed by living here is that this is certainly not China, though China is pretty certain that it is.
I relocated to Taiwan when I ran into visa problems in the mainland relating to the upcoming Olympics. At the time, the Chinese government was becoming increasingly paranoid about the presence of foreigners, especially illegal workers like myself, and the possibility of protests and bad publicity surrounding the Olympics.
Taiwan held many surprises in comparison to life in the mainland. One of the most shocking was the massive increase in prices. Many things cost double, or is some cases, as much as ten time what they did in China. Drinking and eating out in particular are very expensive, sometimes on par with or even more expensive then home. However, most things remain at around half what they cost in Canada.
I also miss that more exotic, end-of-the-world feel that China had, where people
are less used to foreigners so you are treated more like a novelty item, and also that grungier, dirtier, survival oriented, more corrupt, anything-goes feel to the place. However, aside from those few things, every other aspect to my new life in Taiwan has been a very positive change.
ILHA FORMOSA: THE BEAUTIFUL ISLAND
Yes, this is a beautiful island, and every time I leave the city (which I try to do every weekend), I am reminded of that. I never could have imagined a city of
10 million people plus that has beaches, mountain and jungle hikes, hot springs, green tea fields, and waterfalls all within less then an hour from downtown.
Many traditions that have nearly been wiped out in China still survive in Taiwan. The Taiwanese still use traditional Chinese characters,
Buddhist culture is thriving, the museums are packed with some of the most ancient and important historical artifacts from the mainland, and there are more vegetarian restaurants then I could hope to conquer in a year's time.
But underneath this Chinese facade, Taiwan is in fact
Aboriginal to the bone, and this becomes more apparent once you leave the capital region. Driving
across Taiwan you can encounter native festivals, parades, and gatherings with where the participants wear colorful garments that remind me of traditional Native American attire. Aboriginal food includes many root vegetables like taro and sweet potato cooked in a variety of ways, as well as wild meats such as boar. Chewing
betel nut, a mild stimulant that stains the teeth red, is quite an obsession among elder Taiwanese.
City life here is very
Westernized, hectic, and work oriented. Children and adolescents study study study and adults work work work. The Taiwanese are very internationally oriented. English is widely spoken, and Western foods like pasta and fried chicken are extremely popular. Taipei is extremely modern and efficient, with one of the best public transportation systems in the world. However, it still retains a somewhat grungier or grittier feel then other ultra-modern East Asian countries. The youth like to congregate in the city's many night markets, where they pack in elbow to elbow to sample the thousands of unique street foods that Taiwan is known for throughout Asia. The Taiwanese are also considered by many to be the
friendliest people in Asia, and I would have difficulty disagreeing, and I would
Traditional Taiwanese Teahouse
Maokong, a very popular tea growing area accessed by gondola from Taipei also add that that they are abnormally polite.
Everything
Japanese is also extremely popular in Taiwan, including food (especially sushi),video games, toys, music, and fashion. Ximending is one of the most popular hangout spots for young alternative kids, and looks no different then any funky neighborhood in Tokyo. It makes sense though, seeing as Taiwan was a Japanese colony for 50 years, and Japan is responsible for developing Taiwan's
abundant hot springs as well as building many
traditional style wooden teahouses that are just as popular today as ever before. Also, the Taiwanese don't hold a grudge against Japan like other Asian countries do, and all of my students aspire to go to Japan before any other country in the world.
MY HOME IN BANQIAO
Like 90%!o(MISSING)f Taipei's inhabitants, I technically live in
Taipei Country, which takes up a significant chunk of the northern portion of Taiwan. I live in
Banqiao, a sprawling suburb west from downtown Taipei. My neighborhood lacks any significant sites or things to see and do, but I love it because it retains a more traditional and small town feel then downtown Taipei.
There are no other foreigners in my neighborhood
(except for my South African landlord and my roomate), and best of all there is a
thriving morning market right outside my front door where I can buy cheap produce, local foods, and just about everything I need to survive. Within blocks of my house I have pharmacies, a doctor, dentist, bakeries, vegetarian restaurants, {b}bubble tea shops (bubble tea was invented in Taiwan and it is extremely popular here), and also the MRT station, long distance bus terminal and train station, and finally the
High Speed Rail (Bullet Train) station, one of only two stops in the Taipei greater area. I couldn't possibly ask for a more convenient and comfortable location.
My apartment itself is located on the 6th (top) floor of a small building complex. It looks a little ghetto from the outside, but the inside is extremely well maintained by my kind landlord. My roomate and I pay the equivalent of about 600$ (300$ each) a month for it, and that is including utilities. It is extremely comfortable, compact and efficient, and my bedroom is huge so I have lots of space to do yoga before work every day.
TEACHING ENGLISH IN TAIWAN
I sometimes
feel guilty about how well I am paid in this country and how comparatively little stress I have to deal with, though I have worked pretty hard to get to where I am at in my 'career', if you can call it that. The average teacher in Taipei makes over 20$ per teaching hour, and if I put in enough hours in a month I am able to pull in just short of 3000$, saving roughly half of that if I try.
Teaching in Taiwan is very relaxed and the average foreign teacher is not expected to do much more then show up 20 minutes before class in shorts and a t-shirt. However, I don't want to downplay the teaching itself. Attempting to manage 15 hyperactive 5 year old Asian kids who barely speak English is not something that anybody can handle, and days of teaching can be extremely exhausting and frustrating at times. It does get easier with time, but
there is never a week that I finish without feeling physically and mentally wiped out.
Before Taiwan I had taught English in three different countries, but I only taught adults and older kids (7 and up). So
I was a little worried when I found out that my kids in Taiwan would be only 5 years old! But the truth is, I have completely fallen in love with them. I adore them as if they were my own children, and I feel that by teaching them I am getting a real taste of what it would be like to be a father. Spending that two hours with my class every day is like super-happy-fun-crazy time.
The kids make me laugh almost constantly, and their enthusiasm, innocence, intelligence and life fills me with positive energy. From now on I only ever want to teach young kids again.
That group of kids are my main class. Every day we are paid to pick them up from their regular school and we march in a noisy chaotic mob through downtown Taipei to our little private school. I also work in a second private school, with rotating classes ranging from 5 to 11 years old. Then most of my evenings are taken up with private tutoring. I tutor two rich boys in their home 6 hours a week, and the older of the two speaks English nearly as good as
Naviagting the crowds of the Taipei MRT
I spend an hour or more on the MRT every day I do (and definitely has better writing than me).
If you have ever heard any kind of stereotype that Asian kids are shy or quiet, it is completely false. They are all maniacs. They are really bad, they fight, they scream, they swear, and much much more. But teaching in Asia is a lot less formal then in the West, especially as a foreign teacher. We are more like clowns that have tonnes of fun with the kids and never really get that mad at them (at least not in the same way that their Chinese teachers do). So they really love us. Every day they climb all over me, jump on me, pet my arm hair, try to lift my shirt, drop kick me, spit on me, and grab my bum. Before and after class I spin them around, throw them in the air, lift them upside down, tickle them until they scream, etc. It truly is great fun.
AN AVERAGE DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ENGLISH TEACHER Five days a week I wake up at 9am, and spend the morning doing yoga, drinking green tea, and studying Chinese. I have been learning this incredibly
difficult language for nearly a year now, and have made such little progress relative to how many hours I have put in. But I am slowly but surely improving one tiresome day at a time. My vocabulary is ever increasing, but Chinese tones are killer for the Western tongue, and so I still struggle with simple conversation. But I am a step above survival in my linguistic skills, and also a few months ago I took on the monumental task of
learning to read in Chinese, and I feel like I am making good progress on that front.
Around noon I head off to my first school, and some days I do not return home until 11 or so hours after I left. Most days involve taking the MRT to one job, planning, teaching, lunch on the street, MRT to next job, planning, teaching, and MRT to one more gig, then MRT home. In the late evenings I relax at home and listen to music or play Scrabulous with
Marc, my roomate and friend of 14 years! Every weekend I make a point of exploring some new region or neighborhood of Taipei, or getting out of the city
to enjoy the beautiful Taiwanese outdoors. As I write this it is actually December, but it is still 20 degrees out in the daytime, so the weather never restricts my ability to take advantage of my weekends. I am also very appreciative of the fact that I get a 2-day weekend, a luxury that is not enjoyed in many parts of Asia where I have taught. Of course there is a fair share of drinking and parting that is also enjoyed on my part, and one of my favorite things about Asia is that
there are no open liquor laws, so you can drink just about anywhere. 7-11 beers are only a dollar a piece, and Taiwan has more 7-11s per square kilometer then any country on earth, so no matter where you are walking, in the city or out, any walk more then a few meters calls for
road beers. For more of my photos, or to buy my book, please visit www.nickkembel.com
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Jenna
non-member comment
teacher in banciao
Hey, I stumbled along your blog, and was wondering if you're still in Banciao. I'm from the US and an English teacher as well. The pictures of the market outside your apartment look familiar. We may live in the same neighborhood and not even know it! Jenna