A Teacher's Life in Taiwan
Last updated at 03:25:04 PM on 1998/6/6
Government-determined facts change unpredictably here. Market-driven facts
(such as exchange rates) change unpredictably everywhere.
| What about racial and national prejudice? |
Yep. A few Taiwanese have told me in private that they are "afraid of" people of African descent. I guess that's mainly because they have almost no first-hand exposure to African-Westerners (I use the W word 'cause they come from several different countries, of course), and perhaps also because negative portrayals in movies, etc. The somewhat-good news (if you can call it good news) is that it's not an active hatred or dislike, but more of an uneasiness. I know that's not much of an improvement, but in the job world it's a real distinction. The racial barriers appear to me to be rather flimsy; once people get to know you, it seems that the situation will improve. I have bumped into a few African-Westerners, all of whom seemed reasonably secure and content in their jobs and their lives here. However, those to whom I was close enough to ask about racial prejudice all confirmed the obvious....What is "National Prejudice"? Taiwanese generally hold all Westerners in high esteem, but Americans are the paragon. Many - maybe even most - cram schools call themselves "American Language" schools. Everyone wants an American English accent. Schools typically advertise for "North American" (including Canadian) teachers. Again, there's good news. The insistence on American English is more "for show" than "for real". Few people are ever really turned down because of their nationality or their accent. For example, I met one successful teacher in Taipei whose English was nearly unintelligible to me (he was from Liverpool). Some people fake an American accent, but even that probably won't be necessary.
| ...and other necessities |
..I sincerely recommend that you learn how to say, "Excuse me, where is the bathroom?" in Chinese...and speaking of bathrooms, the Chinese have a very different style - it's a narrow slit right on the floor and you squat over it (sorry to bring up potty issues!). Again if you live in Taipei there will probably be our beloved sit-down toilets *everywhere* you go. Many times you'll see a little sign "Western toilet" over one stall...but in the tiny little town where I live there are Western public toilets only in McDonalds and KFC...another thing, though, usually/almost always people's own residences have Western style toilets...and always carry toilet paper with you, every day, since many public places don't provide it...
| Bits 'n Pieces |
...that will go in other sections as this page is continually updated and improved. I guess one thing haven't mentioned is the night markets. I love 'em. Tiny sub-cities made of hundreds of stalls spring up in a couple hours time in selected places, once or twice a week. You can buy anything and everything (and in some places I DO mean everything). People shout out (in Chinese, of course) "Hey American, you look hungry! Try some of our squid soup!" or "Hey foreigner, buy a jade bracelet for your beautiful girlfriend!" The night markets are very renao which means "noisy, crowded, active, busy".Many Chinese people love *renao* places like that. Some of the more mobile Westerners work for five or six months then take a one month vacation and blow all the money they earned. They travel around Asia. In fact, this end of Asia is really kind of a cultural buffet. Many ancient and (for Kentuckians like myself) exotic cultures jostle elbows on a relatively small portion of the globe. It's not that difficult to take in a different Asian country and culture every year -or even more often than that.
Enough for now, gotta go --
If you have more questions, just drop me a line
Copyright (c) 1998
Timothy M. Nall. All rights reserved.
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