Taking on Taiwan: Learning the Lingo

Ah, Mandarin Chinese.  I’m sure many of you know that it is one of the hardest languages in the world to learn, for speakers of alphabet based languages, that is.  Here in Taiwan, Traditional Mandarin Chinese is spoken.  It is nearly the same as Simplified Chinese when you hear it spoken, but taking a look at the characters, you notice the difference.  Traditional Mandarin Chinese has more strokes and more complexity to it.  Taiwan has kept the traditional writing alive despite China’s transition to a simple version of the original language.

Taking on Taiwan: The Unexpected Bonuses

For those of you who keep up regularly with my blog, you’re probably familiar with my fun experience in the ER a little while back.  I’ve never been a fan of the doctor–as I am sure not many people are–but honestly, visiting the doctor in Taiwan is one of the many bonuses to living here.  As an expat, I definitely have a different experience than the locals when it comes to daily life, but there are bonuses to living in Taiwan, and perhaps living in Asia in general.  So let’s break down just a few of the pros to moving to this island:

That Time We Stood On A Fortress

About a year and a half ago, one of my best friends and I traveled by train down to Kaohsiung.  We were going away for the weekend to the hottest city in Taiwan.  It was, admittedly, the first time I had ever booked a hotel in my life without my mom or dad assisting.  Aside from the moment I stepped away from my family at the airport two years ago, I like to think of that weekend in Kaohsiung as one of the first times I really felt like a responsible adult.