An Expatriate in Taiwan

Tag: Culture

  • Random kindness

    I’ve always been amazed by the random kindness of Taiwanese people. This is something that I did not often come across elsewhere… or, at least, I do not have distinct memories of it (this may be due to not noticing such things in my youth). The other day I was out hiking in the mountains,…

  • Speaking in numbers

    Laowai Chinese recently made a post about numbers in everyday Chinese language in mainland China. I thought I would take the concept and apply it to Taiwan. Most of these are used when instant messaging friends or sending text messages. A few of them, like 4, 6, and 8 are pretty well integrated to everyday…

  • 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…