Scooters, Dogs, and 7-11s OH MY!

Since this is my blog, I'm going to start out informally with some semi-related thoughts before I start "blogging." Those of you who read my first posts obviously realize it's been three weeks since my last post. I realize I said this was a "weekly" blog. I'm also someone who likes to write, so in my mind that's not really an issue. But funny thing: when you deal with rambunctious kids all day, every day, even a responsibility that should be easy and fun becomes more of a chore than you'd like it to be. That's not to say the only reason this post is delayed is from life stresses. I also found myself wanting to take more time to actually experience Taiwan, and have the time to reflect on it, before writing. Sure, I could bust out a blog post every week, just writing about the things I saw and heard that week, with some basic thoughts. Or, I could actually take the time to experience things I want to write about, and have the time to reflect properly. So in that spirit, three weeks later, here's the result of that:

Scooters. While I was in the United States (which was the majority of my life), I saw maybe 20 scooters in total. In Taiwan, I see 20 scooters in half a second. In the just-over-a-month that I've been here, I've probably seen enough scooters to fill a stadium - heck, probably two stadiums. If Taiwan decided to go to war, I'm fully convinced scooters would be their cavalry. I wouldn't be surprised if the Taiwanese flag had a white scooter added under the sun. I've read estimates that there are the same amount of scooters as people in Taiwan. None of this is exagerrated; there are a lot of scooters.

This is not photoshopped, and they are all moving

But there's obviously a reason scooters are so popular. Nothing happens for no reason. One obvious aspect to point to is their cost. Compared to a car, scooters are pretty cheap. Some people get them used for under $10000 NTD ($330 USD). They also get great milage, which adds up to even more money saved. These aren't prolific observations. It's common sense to save a lot of money when you can. Scooters are also easily parkable. Thanks to their compact size, you can find them parked on just about every street, in long lines. Many people even park them on the edge of the sidewalk. Oh wait, there are no sidewalks in Taiwan (there are, but they're rare).

Scooter road-parking with a rare sidewalk

The above reasons are all pretty standard. But I believe there's much more to the scooter than meets the eye. The interesting thing about scooters in Taiwan is that you'll see a lot of them with more than one person riding. I've seen up to 5 people on a scooter. Any time you put more than one person on a scooter, a few things are happening. At a basic level, two or more people are getting to a destination using the same vehicle, something we call "carpooling" in the US. But on a deeper level, trust is being built. Scooters are by nature unsafe vehicles. You can wear a helmet, but if you run into a car, there's a very good chance you will be hit. When we get into a car with someone, we're trusting them to a certain extent, but we're also trusting the car, and its ability to withstand an accident. On a scooter, all of your trust it placed in the hands of the driver.

Let's count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

By filling an entire nation with these vehicles, you are also placing more trust in your community. At any moment, my neighbor could act incorrectly in his or her car, or even scooter, and I'll be in an ambulance. But so many people drive these machines with others, placing their trust in each other. Many Westerners spend a lot of their lives skeptical about and even hating those around them. Taiwan embraces the people around them.

These people are trusting all of those other drivers not to plow into them

If you don't know it already, China and Taiwan are very conservative when it comes to public displays of affection (PDA). You'll see some handholding, maybe even a hug here and there, but other than that, there's not much. That's where a scooter comes in. You're on a date with someone new. You've met in public, shared a meal, and now it's time to say goodbye. There's no wondering "will he kiss me/should I kiss her?" because it doesn't happen in public. So how are you supposed to tell if the girl or guy likes you a lot? With a scooter it's easy. Does he/she put his arms around you? Almost every scooter has a handle on the back, and many Taiwanese are adept at balancing on the back of a scooter without holding onto anything. While PDA is unacceptable in Taiwan, holding onto someone on a scooter is. Everyone knows that "cuddling" is a great affection builder and display.

Even dogs get to scooter cuddle

Combining this idea of trust, and affection, we reach an important aspect of falling in love. Many people place trust and love together. You can't love someone you don't trust. Many Westerners feel that it's hard to build up trust with their significant other. In Taiwan, on date one you are placing a lot of trust in someone. This trust leads to more comfortability with this person, and falling for them is much easier.

The love is still there

For these reasons, I urge all of you to think of scooters less as dangerous but cheap transportation devices, and more as a trust and love machine.

I do want to point out that there are still many scooter accidents in Taiwan. Up to 50% of the hospitals' ER departments are filled with people who were in scooter accidents. My third day here I saw a guy lying on the road with a bone sticking out of his leg. But as many Taiwanese people have pointed out to me, a lot of these accidents could be prevented with safer driving by the injured.

Another day; another scooter accident

I also want to point out that a huge drawback of scooters in Taiwan is a rapidly rising rate of obesity. Westerns are no strangers to this phenomenon, and now Taiwan is experiencing it worse than ever. Part of this is all of the delicious but unhealthy food, but the other part is people riding their scooter instead of walking five minutes to their destination.

Closest 7-11 is two blocks away - better ride my scooter

As a final note since this post is coming after some time, I am really loving my job. The kids are great, even when they're naughty, and as I've told my family and some friends, I work for a smaller school that allows me to feel like I'm part of a family instead of "just another teacher." I have two coworkers from South Africa whom I love to work with, and we have a great time together. I'm also still trying as many new Taiwanese foods as I can, and I still haven't found one I don't like (although, spitting out squid mouths is a bit more of a chore than I'd like).

That black thing is its mouth, and you generally spit it out

Until next time...

The Eagle Has Landed

As I sit here in front of my laptop, back hunched over, on a small couch in a 1-room apartment, I can't help but smile. If I was in the United States, I would be considered poor right now - dirt poor. But I'm smiling, because I am nowhere close to poor. I don't just mean this financially; I mean this on a much deeper level. I am what the religious call "blessed," what the second place finisher calls "lucky," and what the gamblers call "holding aces."

Sometimes life deals you a great hand

I have been in Taiwan for one week now. I have moved into a furnished apartment with internet, gotten a phone, applied for a resident visa, and made many friends. This is now the place I call home, and so far, I'm happy to call it that.

My little one bedroom apartment - it's cozy (kitchen and bathroom behind the picture)

Taiwan is nowhere close to perfect. The streets are lined with stray dogs, and you will probably step in their crap at least once. You will often find yourself comfortably walking along, only to get a nice whiff of sewage. There are no actual sidewalks to be found. Even the nicest apartments and houses have cockroaches. People drive dangerously close to each other, and park where they want to. There's also plenty of noise pollution. But despite all of this, I am happy to be here.

Welcome to Taiwan

So why am I so happy to be in an environment like this? Because all of those "negatives" are balanced by one of the most important positives - great people. A country is only as great as its people. I forget who first said this, but it couldn't be closer to the truth. Taiwan has some of the friendliest, most welcoming people in the world. Heck, even people on the streets see me and say, "Welcome to Taiwan!" Most are not rich, and many live tough lives. But almost all will still give everything they have to help out.

These great people took me out my first day here

People often ask me why I chose Taiwan instead of China. There are many basic reasons, such as living standards and safety (in Taiwan, you are more likely to be mugged by a stray dog than a human being). But I think the biggest difference that separates the two is simple: family vs. community. China is family-oriented; they do what is best for their families, and everything else falls to the wayside. Taiwan is community-oriented; they do what is best for the people around them. This includes family of course, but it is greater than that. They are concerned for their people, and even the people that come to Taiwan.

It's not just a funny TV show; it's Taiwan's moral code

To add to the benefits, food here is tasty, and cheap. I mean dirt cheap. This doesn't apply to all food - for most western food, you're going to pay - but most of it is quite inexpensive. I can eat a full meal for $2-4 usd. I'm not talking McDonald's cheeseburgers here, either; I'm talking real food. This positive probably applies to me a bit more than other Westerners, because I enjoy all of the food here. So far, the expats I've met have their qualms with a handful of Taiwanese food, if not more of it. Many people have attempted to gross me out with things like preserved egg, chicken butt, stinky tofu, blood rice (real blood), and other delicacies to no avail.

This is called 皮蛋 - preserved egg. It's probably the grossest food to foreigners here. I love it!

Going back to the people, I've already made some great friends (and possibly even more, but we'll talk about that in another blog). They're more than willing to take me wherever I want to go, and always offering their help. Sometimes the language gap can make things tricky (my Chinese isn't great), but many Taiwanese speak pretty decent English, so you can make it work. As my students know, body language can go a long way as well.

There's a special friend hidden in this photo - I'll tell you more later

Speaking of students, I started teaching yesterday, and met many cute little Taiwanese boys and girls. The first day was tough for many of them, as they didn't want to leave their parents. Many cried, some all day long. Others were quiet and shy, often refusing to respond or participate. Every class has a naughty boy or two, that doesn't like to sit down, and loves to yell and scream. But many students are cooperative angels. I know I'm going to have fun with all of them over the next year.

I have many cute kids like this one (pictures of mine will come soon)

You'll notice I'm not going in depth on many of these topics. This is because this entry is intended to be a "first impression" post. I just want to give my initial thoughts and feelings, and then will use future entries to go much more in depth on specific things (hint for next week: scooters).

Foreshadowing for next week

I will end this post with a funny story (and maybe I'll just make this a theme):

I took a day trip from Hsinchu, where I live in Northern Taiwan, to Douliu, a city in Yunlin down south. I met a friend there, and we hopped on a scooter and explored the city. After getting delicious dessert called "tofu pudding," we decided to take a trip to the Traditional Chinese Puppet Museum (see above picture). The road to this museum was a very country-style one, with plenty of space to ride, and pastures on either side. While at a stop light, an older man stopped next to us and said "Hello!" I responded, "Hello, how are you?" which lead to a small conversation of broken English on his end. The light turned green, and he rode off in front of us, until we were both stopped at another light. He continued to talk to me, and then said "I have souvenir!" He reached into his bag and handed me my first Taiwan souvenir.

I was on the back of a scooter, so I couldn't get a picture of the guy

To New Beginnings

I live in a generation of choices. Every day Americans my age wake up, and have what is seemingly an endless list of choices as to what can be pursued or accomplished. And yet, as some of us are realizing, this "freedom" we have been gifted and are encouraged to utilize, stuns us. We have all the choices in the world, and none at the same time - we can't choose. Choice is a funny thing. Most of us can choose between two paths or flavors. But put us in a labyrinth with thousands of paths, and we will just sit down.

So you say you like choices?

Today, I begin the journey of one of the first true choices I have made. I say "true choices" because most of my life has been spent floundering. I've always known I have a good head on my shoulders. I often use that head to surprising (even to me) effect. But, like most Americans, I couldn't decide how to use it. 

If only it were this easy

If you are reading this blog, it is likely you know a good amount of my history. If you don't, here it is in sum: I was a geek who never found my fit in life, until finally I took the time to reflect on myself. There were two pivotal moments in my life that ignited this. The first was realizing that I needed someone to talk to about the constant thoughts I have. For this, I made the choice that many are afraid to, and saw a therapist. This therapist, Jim, never told me I was wrong, or that I needed to change anything. All he did was help me work through my thoughts. It was amazing. He was amazing. I honestly can't thank him enough. As a consequence of Jim's help, the second pivotal moment was when I made the decision to spend my spring break in the middle of nowhere, unable to talk, and forced only to reflect. This was achieved through a 10-day silent meditation retreat. If this sounds crazy to you, it was - crazy enlightening. I spent 10 days, unable to speak, made to sit motionless for at least six hours a day, and only myself to talk to, mentally. If this sounds fun to you, I highly recommend giving it a try. If it sounds terrifying to you, I still recommend it. It's the hardest but most rewarding thing I've ever done.

There's probably a retreat near you: http://www.dhamma.org/en/locations/directory

From this reflection, I came to a few key realizations. The first: we are nothing without each other. Life is not meant to be conquered alone. And the fact that this is true for all of us, means we need to do our best to try and understand each other. This is often difficult, as what we don't immediately understand, we often fear or hate. But if you take the time to reflect on yourself, you see that the things you don't understand about others is often within yourself, and merely a projection of your own fears. 

Look familiar?

You can always conquer the fears within. This leads me to my second realization: take the time to reflect. We spend so much time blaming others around us, complaining about the problems in the world, and focusing on just about anything but ourselves. This is a travesty. By merely taking a few minutes out of your day to seek out how you actually are and feel, you can begin to understand the world around you. People get less scary. You're happier more. You stop lashing out. 

Reflection can bring you to the clouds

The only actions of the world we have control over are our own. This includes our thoughts and attitudes. This leads me to my third realization: we must seek to understand. Knowing something, and understanding it are two different things. We accept this with facts and general studies. But when it comes to people, we feel like we understand others just by knowing them. We don't. It is only by taking the time, and making your purpose to understand someone, that we can ever even get close to understanding. It is through this last realization especially that I sit here, writing my first blog entry, before getting on a plane to Taiwan.

SF Airport has desks - neat huh?

It is no longer a rare story to hear that someone has taught English abroad. It seems like everyone knows someone who has done it, or is doing it. However, from talking to some of these expats, it seems like the experience is a "gap job," one that allows them to afford travel, and trying something different. It's merely an adventure. When I step out of the plane to Taiwan, I am not on an adventure. I am on a quest to understand. I want to understand Eastern thought and culture, because someday there is going to be a critical need for understanding between the East and West, and it won't be easy. The first step to this is learning what is said to be one of the most difficult languages in the world: Mandarin Chinese. 

A culture's history in its language

The next obvious question is: why Taiwan? Why not China? Because readers, upon reflection, I know I'm still human, and would like to make the experience a fun and safe one. Taiwan is just plain superior to China in these aspects (as an American at least). Could I have fun in China? Sure. Would the language learning probably go a bit smoother? You bet. But would I be surrounded by beautiful beaches, some of the friendliest people in the world, and a food-lovers paradise (not to mention fairly clean air)? No. And this, my friends, is why in 2 hours I will be getting on a plane to Taiwan.

Almost 15 hours in a tin can - I hope I can sleep

For those wishing me to fill in some gaps, don't worry. This blog is going to be weekly, and will be a combination of my experiences, thoughts, and most importantly, reflections on my life leading to this point, and how the lessons of Taiwan effect them. I will also attempt to live out what three separate people have told me would be my superpower, if there was such a thing: make the connections that others don't.