A Place to Call Home

The past few weeks have been pretty uneventful. I finished Chinese class, and I am rather sad it's over. I really enjoyed the class and my teacher was so kind and helpful. Dragon boat has basically consumed most of my free time. The race is this weekend, so hopefully my next post contains good news!

Dragon Boat Mixed Team

I've been in Taiwan for a little over 3 months now, and I am sure than some of you still don't know much about it. I thought I'd take this opportunity to paint you a little picture of the place I have been calling home for the past while. 

Taiwan

Taiwan, or Republic of China, is a little Island located southeast of China. The capital is Taipei City and the entire island has a population of a little over 23 million people. Around 86% are decedents of Han Chinese - often referred to as native Taiwanese, 12% come from (or ancestors come from) Mainland China, and the other 2% are known as Taiwanese Aboriginals. 

Language & Culture

The main language is Mandarin, but some also speak Taiwanese, even though it is decreasing in popularity. Religion plays a large role in Taiwanese culture. Over 93% of the population believe in Buddhism, Confucianism, or Taoism, and often in some combination. Temples can be found virtually around ever corner. Some are big and extravagant, some are small and barely noticeable. 

Fo Guan Shan Monastery

Climate

The climate can be classified as marine tropical. The northern part has a rainy season from January through March. The southern part does not have the same rainy weather. The entire island experiences hot and humid weather from June to September. Typhoons are earthquakes are not uncommon. Since I have been here, the weather has ranged from 20-33 degrees Celsius. 

Education

Education is extremely important in Taiwan. Starting at an early age kids go to Cram School after their regular school day to attend extra classes. This can include English classes or prep for higher grades. In High School, students will prepare for 3 years to take their university entrance exam. All students attend University and most will advance to complete their masters. University is very competitive and Taiwanese students spend a lot of time studying. 

Geography

Taiwan's geography consists of a mixture of beaches, mountains, forests, cities, islands, and plains. The majority of the island (two-thirds) consists of mostly rugged mountains running in fives ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island that are along the east. The other third of the island on the west are the Chianan Plains that are home of most of Taiwan's population. There are several smaller islands, including Green, Penghu and Orchid Island that offer some beautiful beaches.

Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung is the city I have been calling home for the past 3 months. Its is located in the southwest of Taiwan. It is the second largest city in Taiwan with a population of about 2.9 million people (includes Kaohsiung county). The people here have proven to be some of the nicest I have ever met. English is not very common in Kaohsiung, so communicating can be challenging. Despite the language barrier, Taiwanese are extremely patient and want to help you in any way they can. Foreigners are not very common, so walking down the street people often stare, wave, and sometimes ask to take pictures with us. 

Students out for lunch

Food

Fried rice from the canteen

Food is a very important aspect in Taiwanese culture. People love to eat! And something interesting in Taiwan is that people always eat out. Some people never even cook at home. Because of this, there are restaurants everywhere. Mostly, there are small Taiwanese restaurants that are simply a small kitchen and a few chairs and tables out front, which often have the most delicious fried rice along with some weird local food. There are also some western restaurants that serve burgers, pasta, and pizza. Another thing that is very popular is all-you-can-eat BBQ or hot pot. You pay around NT200-400 ($7-14 Canadian), and you cook your own meat on a BBQ or in a hot broth, with a time limit of 1.5-2 hours. This food is absolutely amazing. Tea and juices are very common as well, there are countless places where you can find a variety of tea (hot and cold) or places that make fresh fruit juices. Bakeries are found on almost every street corner. They make everything from bread to savoury buns to delicate pastries. I never thought some of the most delicious desserts would be found in Taiwan. 

BBQ

En route by scooter

Transportation

Parking lot at school

The most common form of transportation is definitely by scooter. The sheer number of scooters is astonishing. The majority of people on the road are driving a scooter. Most of the students at NSYSU rent them for the time they are here for around $300 per semester. The funny thing about scooters is what people manage to carry on them. I have seen a family of 4, a man with 3 dogs, and a man with a chair on the back. It's very impressive what they manage to put on those little scooters. 

Night Markets

Shoe shopping at the night market

Night Markets are very popular and exciting. They consists of numerous streets lined with vendors selling everything from food to clothing, accessories, and shoes, all for extremely cheap. There are also places to play games. The streets are often deserted during the day (except for the weekend) and filled with people at night. You can often bargain to get a cheaper price, even though sometimes you feel bad because it's already so cheap. People go to shop, eat, or catch a movie at the movie theatre, or even just to walk around the exciting market. 




Beauty
Beauty is very important to Taiwanese girls. They are often dressed in high heels, fancy clothing, lots of make up and perfect hair, always wanting to look their best. They get their hair done on a regular basis. Someone told me that some Taiwanese girls don't even own shampoo because they go to the salon so often to get their hair done. They believe beauty is defined by being skinny and white. They avoid the sun at all cost. Even if it's 30 degrees, they will often wear long sleeves and cover themselves from the sun with an umbrella. There are even treatments and creams that make skin whiter. This is much different than western girls. 

Night Life
The international students love to party in Kaohsiung. Alcohol is cheap and the bars are always packed. The two most popular bars are Dreams and Lamp. Both places you pay between $10-$20 to get in and there is an open bar. On ladies night, girls get in for free! There is a huge dance floor and a stage where hired girls dance. The bars stay open very late, but so do many restaurants so it is not uncommon to spend the night at the bar dancing and then catch a meal before retiring for the evening. Below is a video of a bunch of the international students going out to Lamp. 

KTV

Another popular night time activity is KTV, which is a Taiwanese form of karaoke. The difference is you can rent a room for the night and drink for really cheap. If you have a small group, you can get a small room. Or if you have a large group - there are huge rooms available with big screen TVs, couches, and tables. There are a ton of English songs and it's a guaranteed good time!  

View from the roof of the dorms

NSYSU
The university I am attending in Kaohsiung is National Sun Yat-Sen University. The campus is absolutely beautiful. There is lush vegetation all around and the beach is a 5 minute walk away. The view from the roof of the dooms is breathtaking and the sunsets are unreal. Some of the great things about the campus include: an outdoor pool, fresh juice and tea stands, a cafe in a courtyard surrounded by trees (a delightful place for a morning coffee), a garden with a pond in the middle of the campus, a gym and outdoor track, and the numerous places to eat. The international students have created quite a bond and it has been really interesting getting to know people from all over the world. Many of us have joined the dragon boat team together - this has been a wonderful experience. 

At the "secret beach" on campus

In one of my classes, my teacher showed us a video made by a couple Taiwanese students that did an exchange in Europe. The video is quite funny and discusses some of the cultural differences between Taiwan and Western countries. This video made me laugh and I want to share it with you. (Just click on the link below)
Taiwanese Culture - From the Students Perspective


Sadly, the semester is coming to an end in the next few weeks. I will be very sad to leave Taiwan. The experience has been so incredible. I have learnt so much about different cultures and about myself. Our flight is booked to Bangkok on June 27th and Arthur and I will be travelling to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia for 6 weeks. I am very much looking forward to the new adventure, but I am dreading having to say goodbye to all the wonderful people I have met here. 


Lots of love,
Chantal
xo