Nietzsche was a bit of weird fellow, but he got one thing right when he said: “Without music life would be a mistake.” Yes, that’s right, I started this article with a Nietzsche quote! But in all seriousness, Taiwanese music has helped ground me in this amazing country and I am so thankful to have so […]
Read more
You’ve probably heard some nonsense about learning the language that 20% of the world’s population speaks. You know, that outdated fact that wasn’t even true in the 1990s. Nowadays, the pitch for learning Mandarin is that it’ll be great for your future career! Hell, you might’ve watched Looper and thought “I should learn Mandarin” because […]
Read more
When I lived in China, I came across the notion that it is easy for a foreign man to find a girlfriend, or simply a bit on the side. From this notion, there sprang up so many questions, and one of them I have been asked and seen on forums is, are (Asian country) women […]
Read more
I’ve been guilty, like a lot of people, of believing that something around 50% of expats in Asia, Taiwan, China or wherever you may be losers. There’s a lot of talk about how people come to Asia because they couldn’t make it in their own country. It’s an easy lie to fall into because it’s […]
Read more
Waiguoren (外國人) is an interesting word that doesn’t simply mean “foreigner.” Waiguoren’s polysemic meanings as a word are diverse, meaning, it has multiple meanings depending on who the person is saying it, and the person hearing it. As much as we like to simplify the meaning of words as having definite meanings, I think this […]
Read more
You know what the question I get asked the most? “Which university should I pick in Taiwan for a degree/master’s/Mandarin program?” There is no easy answer to give people. It really depends on what you want to major in, what city you want to live in, and if you have a scholarship. If you’re interested […]
Read more
By and large, the single biggest sector for professional foreigners in Taiwan is English teaching. Naturally, many people are attracted to the above-average pay ($600-$800 NTD an hour starting off) and might not be aware that English teaching is a very challenging job and it’s not for everyone. This article isn’t about putting down teaching […]
Read more
I am always grateful for bloggers. Think about it, what are bloggers getting in return for their work? Some bloggers make a living out of it, but the vast majority of expat bloggers in Asia do it as a passion, and not for a source of income. I’ve been accused of being an attention seeker […]
Read more
There was a time when I cringed at people saying “straight white male.” It was a strange statement to me. The kind of statement that bunched together a very large group of men together and treated their entirety as wrong. But the more, and more I live in Asia and see how US politics is […]
Read more
