I am citing irreconcilable differences as the motive for ending my relationship with Taiwan. It has been a long, bumpy road complete with high highs and low lows but in the end I can't spend more than five minutes in public with Taiwan before I find myself either seething with rage or on the verge of mental collapse. I have tried to understand Taiwan and even to alter myself to fit Taiwan, but much the same as buying a dress that is a size too small because it's the last one on sale, not only are my attempts at self alteration hopeless but now I am stuck with a frustrating daily reminder of my habit for impulsive decision making.
I wrote a bunch of negative stuff about what I've experienced here and was about to post it when my gen-Y/Lonely Planet brainwashing prevented me from nay-saying any foreign culture. So, with the utmost passive-aggression, I googled “I hate Taiwan”. Not only did the results put my hatin' conscience at ease, but I learned that in comparison to some people who have spent time here I am actually pretty gentle in my criticisms ... http://asian-caucasian.stroke7.com/2006/12/07/things-i-hate-about-taiwan-1-marble-tiled-sidewalks/
To make it clear that I wouldn't go as far as to call Taiwan a “shitty toilet”, as one rather misanthropic poster did, I will expound on the wonderful qualities Taiwan does have. Before dissing everything else.
As soon as you leave Taipei this country is beautiful. There are big-name-resort rivalling beaches on the Southern Coast, dense rainforests, scenic lakes, stunning mountain peaks and breathtaking gorges (I've got more in-flight magazine adjectives where those came from if you can stomach them). You can surf, scuba dive, hang glide, hike, mountain bike, etc. This island isn't the soul-crushing, aesthetically bland industrial wasteland that it is often perceived to be.
The food - It's cheap, everywhere, and deep fried. A lot of foreigners get worked up about the nonexistent health and hygiene standards for vendor food but apparently your body develops a resistance to bacteria over time, so no big deal. Who cares if vendors harvest questionable greens from the edge of a swamp by the dump, wash raw fish directly on the sidewalk gutter or expose room-temperature meat to sun, insects and a steady stream of traffic all day? One incident of food poisoning and you'll have guts of steel.
The rough and dirty Taiwanese dialect, the wife-beater wearing betel-nut chewers getting hammered off kaoliang on the sidewalk in the middle of the day, the kamikaze blue truck drivers ... These are all things that a lot of foreigners or first/second generation Taiwanese can't stand. I actually think this is where Taiwan's only genuine charm comes from, not the watered down aspects of Japanese and Chinese culture that have been adopted over time. My biggest regret is not leaving Taipei more often, because the further away you get from the bland and superficial capital, the closer you get to real Taiwan.
Most days, the make-your-own-damn-rules attitude toward daily living is fun. Traffic rules are always disregarded (http://www.therealtaiwan.com/157/157) and a culture of survival of the fittest (especially in public transit) reigns supreme. Bureaucracy, at all levels, although grandly inefficient is a lot more relaxed and a lot less consistent. Take, for example, the story of a student who overstayed his visa. His friend had done it and hadn't even received a fine at customs, so he went ahead and stayed an extra 60 days or something like that. No phone call, no home visit from the cops. After he had booked his flight back he felt guilty and stopped into a police station to apologize, show his departing ticket and ask for goodwill. The cops threw him in a holding cell for three days, fined him the maximum amount for an overstay, and escorted him to the airport. You might be thinking, wow, that doesn't sound fun at all. The point isn't that one guy got screwed over, it's that the other guy got off scott-free. And everyone knows they will obviously be the other guy.
Unfortunately, these are the only solid reasons I can give for liking Taiwan. This is the good. Next time, I will talk about the bad ...
I wrote a bunch of negative stuff about what I've experienced here and was about to post it when my gen-Y/Lonely Planet brainwashing prevented me from nay-saying any foreign culture. So, with the utmost passive-aggression, I googled “I hate Taiwan”. Not only did the results put my hatin' conscience at ease, but I learned that in comparison to some people who have spent time here I am actually pretty gentle in my criticisms ... http://asian-caucasian.stroke7.com/2006/12/07/things-i-hate-about-taiwan-1-marble-tiled-sidewalks/
To make it clear that I wouldn't go as far as to call Taiwan a “shitty toilet”, as one rather misanthropic poster did, I will expound on the wonderful qualities Taiwan does have. Before dissing everything else.
As soon as you leave Taipei this country is beautiful. There are big-name-resort rivalling beaches on the Southern Coast, dense rainforests, scenic lakes, stunning mountain peaks and breathtaking gorges (I've got more in-flight magazine adjectives where those came from if you can stomach them). You can surf, scuba dive, hang glide, hike, mountain bike, etc. This island isn't the soul-crushing, aesthetically bland industrial wasteland that it is often perceived to be.
The food - It's cheap, everywhere, and deep fried. A lot of foreigners get worked up about the nonexistent health and hygiene standards for vendor food but apparently your body develops a resistance to bacteria over time, so no big deal. Who cares if vendors harvest questionable greens from the edge of a swamp by the dump, wash raw fish directly on the sidewalk gutter or expose room-temperature meat to sun, insects and a steady stream of traffic all day? One incident of food poisoning and you'll have guts of steel.
The rough and dirty Taiwanese dialect, the wife-beater wearing betel-nut chewers getting hammered off kaoliang on the sidewalk in the middle of the day, the kamikaze blue truck drivers ... These are all things that a lot of foreigners or first/second generation Taiwanese can't stand. I actually think this is where Taiwan's only genuine charm comes from, not the watered down aspects of Japanese and Chinese culture that have been adopted over time. My biggest regret is not leaving Taipei more often, because the further away you get from the bland and superficial capital, the closer you get to real Taiwan.
Most days, the make-your-own-damn-rules attitude toward daily living is fun. Traffic rules are always disregarded (http://www.therealtaiwan.com/157/157) and a culture of survival of the fittest (especially in public transit) reigns supreme. Bureaucracy, at all levels, although grandly inefficient is a lot more relaxed and a lot less consistent. Take, for example, the story of a student who overstayed his visa. His friend had done it and hadn't even received a fine at customs, so he went ahead and stayed an extra 60 days or something like that. No phone call, no home visit from the cops. After he had booked his flight back he felt guilty and stopped into a police station to apologize, show his departing ticket and ask for goodwill. The cops threw him in a holding cell for three days, fined him the maximum amount for an overstay, and escorted him to the airport. You might be thinking, wow, that doesn't sound fun at all. The point isn't that one guy got screwed over, it's that the other guy got off scott-free. And everyone knows they will obviously be the other guy.
Unfortunately, these are the only solid reasons I can give for liking Taiwan. This is the good. Next time, I will talk about the bad ...
