Where to go after Taiwan?
Posted: November 11th, 2012, 8:34 am
I have been in Taiwan for exactly four years now and my tolerance for the country and it's people and culture is at an all time low.
Over the past four years I tried in so many ways to make a life here and find ways of coping with all the noise and pollution and crazy behavior on the roads and endless number of scooters and general lack of respect and consideration for each other and the environment and of course the most important aspect of making a life somewhere: learning the language so I could be independent and live something resembling a normal life.
No matter how hard I try and speak Chinese, it is futile. They are always trying to 'help' me by practicing their broken and basic English or looking surprised or giggling or running away and sometimes completely freezing.
I am so exhausted and stressed by this daily battle of telling them off for answering me in English when they have clearly understood my Chinese that I avoid going out or having the absolute minimum contact with them, which is no way to live, especially as I am a very talkative, lively, sociable kind of person.
Example: (in Chinese) Can I have a small hot coffee? Answer: (in English) Do you want sugar and milk?!
(in Chinese) Why do answer me in English?
(in English) because you are a foreigner!
If this happened once a week or even once a day, it would be tolerable. But it happens with every other person. Imagine every other person you meet on a daily basis reminds you that you are a foreigner in some way or other; body language, behavior etc
Whatever is making them act in this subservient manner to a perceived westerner is just pathetic and sad...again, especially as they treat Filipinos and indonesians as second class citizens with very little rights or freedoms.
In short, any respect I might have had for them has eroded considerably over the years. This is not on an individual basis as there are some wonderful, enlightened individuals, but more to do with the society as a whole - and not always necessarily anything directly to do with me as a foreigner; such as noise and pollution and bad driving which affects them all.
It is just one thing too many. As a 52 year guy, with no family of my own, no real language skills, a crappy teaching job, and a culture that is not inclusive or relaxed about my presence, I am finding it hard to stay here any longer.
I admit, for the first couple years especially, I enjoyed the new dating opportunities and the younger, more feminine and beautiful women than anything I was used to in the west, but that is wearing a little thin now and I just don't have the same vigor and enthusiasm.
So the question is where to go next? I love the more fun-loving, relaxed Philippines and the couple of times I visited I really enjoyed the warmer culture and the very lovely Filipinas, but I know for sure I would find it so hard to live in the physical environment with even more noise and pollution and and lawlessness and low quality of life and food etc.
I don't want to go back to the toxic west and certainly not Canada where I lived for a few short years. I grew up in UK and could go back, but the loneliness (lack of females) and dark cold winters would kill my spirit.
I don't hear too many recommendations for South America - I would have loved a nice life in somewhere like Mexico or Colombia...but I read they have their own challenges.
I don't want to waste time trying to learn yet another language especially at my age. I feel stuck with no good match ABROAD to make me HAPPIER.
Over the past four years I tried in so many ways to make a life here and find ways of coping with all the noise and pollution and crazy behavior on the roads and endless number of scooters and general lack of respect and consideration for each other and the environment and of course the most important aspect of making a life somewhere: learning the language so I could be independent and live something resembling a normal life.
No matter how hard I try and speak Chinese, it is futile. They are always trying to 'help' me by practicing their broken and basic English or looking surprised or giggling or running away and sometimes completely freezing.
I am so exhausted and stressed by this daily battle of telling them off for answering me in English when they have clearly understood my Chinese that I avoid going out or having the absolute minimum contact with them, which is no way to live, especially as I am a very talkative, lively, sociable kind of person.
Example: (in Chinese) Can I have a small hot coffee? Answer: (in English) Do you want sugar and milk?!
(in Chinese) Why do answer me in English?
(in English) because you are a foreigner!
If this happened once a week or even once a day, it would be tolerable. But it happens with every other person. Imagine every other person you meet on a daily basis reminds you that you are a foreigner in some way or other; body language, behavior etc
Whatever is making them act in this subservient manner to a perceived westerner is just pathetic and sad...again, especially as they treat Filipinos and indonesians as second class citizens with very little rights or freedoms.
In short, any respect I might have had for them has eroded considerably over the years. This is not on an individual basis as there are some wonderful, enlightened individuals, but more to do with the society as a whole - and not always necessarily anything directly to do with me as a foreigner; such as noise and pollution and bad driving which affects them all.
It is just one thing too many. As a 52 year guy, with no family of my own, no real language skills, a crappy teaching job, and a culture that is not inclusive or relaxed about my presence, I am finding it hard to stay here any longer.
I admit, for the first couple years especially, I enjoyed the new dating opportunities and the younger, more feminine and beautiful women than anything I was used to in the west, but that is wearing a little thin now and I just don't have the same vigor and enthusiasm.
So the question is where to go next? I love the more fun-loving, relaxed Philippines and the couple of times I visited I really enjoyed the warmer culture and the very lovely Filipinas, but I know for sure I would find it so hard to live in the physical environment with even more noise and pollution and and lawlessness and low quality of life and food etc.
I don't want to go back to the toxic west and certainly not Canada where I lived for a few short years. I grew up in UK and could go back, but the loneliness (lack of females) and dark cold winters would kill my spirit.
I don't hear too many recommendations for South America - I would have loved a nice life in somewhere like Mexico or Colombia...but I read they have their own challenges.
I don't want to waste time trying to learn yet another language especially at my age. I feel stuck with no good match ABROAD to make me HAPPIER.