I think it's coming up to a month more or less, I've been at the branch and so it's a fitting point for a blog post.
So first, I was expecting to love it, Taiwan and Taipei, I knew the climate was hot (good) and the people friendly, I thought the job would be much more intense than my two previous TEFL contracts and little else.
Well I fuckin' love it, Taiwan and Taipei, the climate is hot and the people are soooo friendly it's untrue.
I know this side of the world is devided about the One China policy so let me put my hat in the political ring, Tawian ain't China, they ain't the same country, they ain't the same people, the similarities end at the language and the outward appearances of the people.
End of fuckin list.
I loved my two years in Beijing but it took me exactly 5 minutes after I stepped out my hotel here to think; 'Oh hey, China was shit, why didn't I just come here, look everyone is smiling, the sky is blue and the air is clear'. That snap realisation is confirmed every day here, people stop to ask if I need help, even when I don't need help, mainly people speak enough English that you can get anything done and they're modest about the English too, it is in fact awesome.
It is I fact safe to say that Taipei and specifically NeiHu (the area I live - it has a Ferrari, a Maseratti and a Rolls Royce garage) is what I expected or maybe wanted when I was leaving the UK and in all possibility much more, I has her yet to see it all.
NeiHu, like most cities nowadays I guess, is in fact a sprawling web of coffee boutiques, tea houses and phone shops, but such is the way of the word and I like coffee boutiques...
So first, I was expecting to love it, Taiwan and Taipei, I knew the climate was hot (good) and the people friendly, I thought the job would be much more intense than my two previous TEFL contracts and little else.
Well I fuckin' love it, Taiwan and Taipei, the climate is hot and the people are soooo friendly it's untrue.
I know this side of the world is devided about the One China policy so let me put my hat in the political ring, Tawian ain't China, they ain't the same country, they ain't the same people, the similarities end at the language and the outward appearances of the people.
End of fuckin list.
I loved my two years in Beijing but it took me exactly 5 minutes after I stepped out my hotel here to think; 'Oh hey, China was shit, why didn't I just come here, look everyone is smiling, the sky is blue and the air is clear'. That snap realisation is confirmed every day here, people stop to ask if I need help, even when I don't need help, mainly people speak enough English that you can get anything done and they're modest about the English too, it is in fact awesome.
It is I fact safe to say that Taipei and specifically NeiHu (the area I live - it has a Ferrari, a Maseratti and a Rolls Royce garage) is what I expected or maybe wanted when I was leaving the UK and in all possibility much more, I has her yet to see it all.
NeiHu, like most cities nowadays I guess, is in fact a sprawling web of coffee boutiques, tea houses and phone shops, but such is the way of the word and I like coffee boutiques...
...as you can see, and as the humidity here is a bananas crazy, I'm starting to get into iced tea and other such refreshing beverages, my favourites are the ones with basil seeds in.
Also, city living being as it is is, I'm in a studio (baby), sounds better than it is I promise, except for the balcony ;-), so it's nice to get out to write my blog and practise the local lingo, I'm currently in a Crown & Fancy a mere 10 mins from my place, it's all exposed brushed concrete, with a requisite world map behind the counter showing where the coffee beans come from.
The poster next to me, professes, amongst other things 'No Betel Nuts', 'Bring your reuse cup for discount ' and 'Having conversation face to face'
Standard'.
Also, city living being as it is is, I'm in a studio (baby), sounds better than it is I promise, except for the balcony ;-), so it's nice to get out to write my blog and practise the local lingo, I'm currently in a Crown & Fancy a mere 10 mins from my place, it's all exposed brushed concrete, with a requisite world map behind the counter showing where the coffee beans come from.
The poster next to me, professes, amongst other things 'No Betel Nuts', 'Bring your reuse cup for discount ' and 'Having conversation face to face'
Standard'.
Balcony yo!
Other things of note: I was put onto a Taiwan language exchange Facebook group and met a girl that lives and works on my road, we go for coffee and she teaches me Chinese, in the middle of our first lesson I said; 'OK now we do English and she said no, this enough practise for me', so I essentially get free Chinese lessons, Oh and my boss does the same too.
Taiwan is a word leader in recycling, which I love so I have a 5 bins (OK I went overboard) and you have to take your rubbish out to the trucks that come down your street, every night for 'trash' and food and alternate nights for paper and glass, cans and plastic.
Took me three weeks to understand it,I shit you not I had 7 bags of rubbish ion my balcony at one point.
Did I mention I have a balcony?
Other things of note: I was put onto a Taiwan language exchange Facebook group and met a girl that lives and works on my road, we go for coffee and she teaches me Chinese, in the middle of our first lesson I said; 'OK now we do English and she said no, this enough practise for me', so I essentially get free Chinese lessons, Oh and my boss does the same too.
Taiwan is a word leader in recycling, which I love so I have a 5 bins (OK I went overboard) and you have to take your rubbish out to the trucks that come down your street, every night for 'trash' and food and alternate nights for paper and glass, cans and plastic.
Took me three weeks to understand it,I shit you not I had 7 bags of rubbish ion my balcony at one point.
Did I mention I have a balcony?
Local park, amazing jog, it has swimming pool, turns out most of them do round here, although I was sad to find out the outdoor pools close end of September, so I arrived at the end of the season, indoor pools still open though👍.
The park has about 6 small hikes on a small hill right by it and I've found more basketball courts than I could shake a stick at.
I could go on, I really could, but it wouldn't be a fair summary without saying the bad stuff, so here goes, sometimes climate isn’t quite right in the later part of the afternoon and I don't have a remote for my A/C.
But I soldier on.
So to sum it up the streets are wide and the days are long, which means you can, in the words of Richard Pryor, 'Keep the sun on your face', and this make me happy.
I miss you all x
The park has about 6 small hikes on a small hill right by it and I've found more basketball courts than I could shake a stick at.
I could go on, I really could, but it wouldn't be a fair summary without saying the bad stuff, so here goes, sometimes climate isn’t quite right in the later part of the afternoon and I don't have a remote for my A/C.
But I soldier on.
So to sum it up the streets are wide and the days are long, which means you can, in the words of Richard Pryor, 'Keep the sun on your face', and this make me happy.
I miss you all x