Taiwan (life, country, place, people)

[megonow]

Hi

I may take a job in Taiwan but it's so hard to know if it's a good place to consider.

Is it clean? Is there Western food restaurants?

I'd like to hear from anyone who's there or has been there.

Thank you

[jtur88]

It's relatively clean. Taipei is pretty much like any older American inner-city, but not as scary. It seems very safe. You won't see much poverty. The principal cause of death is motor-bike crashes. Getting out of the city, you are pretty much limited to a highway (and a passenger rail) that goes aound the periphery of the island, and a road that crosses the middle, throuth beautiful undefeloped, remote mountain country. Taiwan would be near the top of the list of coutries that I wouldn't mind living in. The Chinese are wonderfully friendly, hospitable, patient people, and you will enjoy their company.

No, don't expect much American style food. But Real Chinese food (not the stuff from strip-mall buffets stateside) is wonderful. There is very little meat, it is mostly tofu substitutes, but they are so well disguied, you often can't tell the differences. If you can find American food, it will be expensive. In short, they have a cuisine of their own, and have no need for pizza or burgers and fries. Music that is gentle and relaxing suits their lifestyle, so you will hear a lot of that.

People who can speak English are hard to find. Chinese is pretty easy to learn, but it can be hard to tune your ear to understand its phonetic nuances. If you need extra money, I'm sure you could easily arrange to give private English lessons. Before you go, see if there is a local organization that teaches English to immigrants, and volunterr for the program, they will give you a crash course in TEFL.