Category: Life in Taiwan
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Memorial Day in Taiwan
April 5th is celebrated as Memorial Day here in Taiwan. In America, Memorial Day is a day for remembering soldiers, especially those who have given their lives in service. In Taiwan, however, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for every member of your family that has passed away. It is very closely tied to…
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Love them little mousies…
A long time ago, the Jade Emperor, emperor of Heaven and all creation, decided that there should be a way to measure time. On his birthday, he told the animals that there would be a swimming race. The first twelve animals to cross the fast-flowing river would win and would have the years of the…
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Christmas Season
Christmas is upon us once again. Every man in a serious relationships knows exactly what this means: Women’s “shopping sense” and “deal radars” are operating at 200% above threshold and they are going absolutely insane trying to find good deals, bad deals, and buy everything in sight. I’m pretty fortunate with Miss Expatriate, as she…
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An interesting encounter
So Miss Expatriate and I went out to dinner the other night. We chose one of our favorite budget restaurants, which happens to specialize in Turkey Rice, sat down and were engrossed in our food when we had a visitor. A mother had come in with her son, approximately 7 years old. He immediately came…
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Going to the bathroom
If you decide to move to or visit Taiwan, at some point you’ll have to use a restroom. It’s unavoidable. It may be a private bathroom at your friend’s house or in your hotel room or it may be a public restroom at, say, a freeway rest area. Either way, you must be prepared. You’re…
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Traffic
Let’s go ahead and get it out of the way: Taiwanese are horrible drivers. There, I said it. I’ve gotten it off my chest. Normally, I try not to speak in stereotypes and generalities, but in this case – at least from my experience here – it really is true. The problem stems from 2…
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People are strange…
It’s not easy being an ambassador. No, I’m not affiliated with the United Nations. No, I’m not a recognized delegate of any nation, group, sect, or what have you. I mean to imply that I don’t come across very many Americans (or other Caucasians) in Taiwan, so going out in public often results in many…