Taiwan.

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A year of teaching in Taiwan has begun! I've now been living in Taiwan for 2 months, and I'm enjoying it. I live in the North of the country, near Taipei City. It's very modern, busy, and somehow still has plenty of nature, which is nice for people like me; I need a walk in a non-inhabited space once or twice a month to stay sane. Working here seems to be fraught with few complications, provided your school (I'm an English teacher) is on the ball with the visa applications, and other such things.



During my exploration so far (which has been limited by money, but fun nonetheless) I've been hiking, rambling, shopping, clubbing, and getting to know the fabulous array of restaurants that are all a stones throw from where I live. Taiwan seems clean and orderly, and the people are almost always very polite. Until they get on a motorcycle... Don't give them water, don't feed them after midnight, and definitely don't let them get on a motorcycle! They are typically quite impatient, and willing to zoom through the tiniest gaps to reduce the time of their journey. Taiwanese people who aren't motorbiking are great; they're used to foreigners, but naturally friendly. The traditional greeting is "Chi fan ma?" (choo fan ma?) which translates to 'have you eaten?' So they don't say 'how are you?' They say 'have you eaten?'. They are crazy about food here, and the number of cafes, restaurants, and dining areas in corner shops all provide further evidence of that. There's Chinese, American, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and more varieties of restaurant. My personal favorite so far is dumplings and pot-sticks. (Google them, as they're impossible to describe!) Fried food is popular here, but not as popular as it is in Indonesia.



My experiences to date include hiking along a pretty trail in Sanxia, which was littered with old gravestones, newer gravestones, natural paraphernalia, and all sorts of plants. They've made a conscious effort to look after their environment here, and that makes the walks all the nicer. Also, the further from the cities you go, the more likely you are to meet non-English speakers, which gives you a more natural experience of practicing Chinese, if you're trying to learn. A lot of the people in my area can speak basic English, so it's difficult for me to get stuck into the language until my Chinese is better than their English, which it isn't yet. I've been to scenic little Sanxia Old Street, which is pretty and very cultural-feeling, despite the number of souvenir shops within it. The street shows what Taiwanese streets would have looked like a long time ago, and it's very precious to be able to walk down this street, drinking in the little restaurants you can buy food in, if you can speak some Chinese! In those restaurants, you'll end up sitting next to an old Taiwanese couple, and the husband will try to show you how to use chopsticks the traditional way, and the wife will laugh at you, and ask where you're from, and make as much polite conversation as you feel like, or can manage in the language. This has happened to me a few times now, and makes me chuckle every time.



This is most of the interesting stuff I've done so far, and I'll have more money next month, and the ability to get travelling to the more rural areas, and get exploring some more hikes, beaches, and so on! Peace!

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