Back in the states, I remember when Tinder first became a big thing. It started out as just a small dating app that most of my friends and I would mess around with. We’d swipe right, talk to someone for a little, and then either date them or, unfortunately, someone would be ghosted. Tinder has kind of a bad rap back at home, at least from the circle of people I find myself entangled with. And I’m, truthfully, more old fashioned when it comes to dating. Tinder was never really my style. I don’t think online dating ever will be, if I may be so honest.
But, when I came to Taiwan, for some odd reason, Tinder and OkCupid seemed enticing. The idea of testing whatever theories I had about dating abroad was thrilling. And so I did. I remember my Tinder biography, more or less. Something about wanting to find language exchange partners, friends, or something more. We all know what the something more meant, but the ambiguity had an intriguing element. And for some reason, Marie living abroad wanted to be mysterious. I’ll spoil the end for you: nothing ever came of this mysterious Marie swimming through the dating world in Taiwan, aside from a good laugh or two months later.
There was one good thing I discovered about using Tinder in Taiwan. That is that there are not all bad seeds on Tinder and OkCupid. There are the usual men and women who just want someone for the night, but there were some real gems on Tinder. One of them, I have to say, is actually one of my best friends now. And it’s actually even more hilarious to tell people when we’re hanging out that we met on Tinder, because it definitely doesn’t mean what it sounds like. Let me explain, before you get ideas in your heads.
One of my dearest friends in the world, Lynn, and I swiped right on each other on Tinder for the sake of finding language exchange partners and friends. I was only a month into my time in Taiwan and knew not many people, aside from the students from Donghai I had met months earlier and the people I worked with. I wanted to dip my toes in as many ponds as possible, find as many cool people I could see myself being friends with as I could. I wanted to dive right into social things, as not to feel homesick so early on in my time abroad.
Fast forward a few months later to Halloween and thus began the illustrious back and forth of visiting each other. First, to Taoyuan. We went to Coldplay together. We explored (and got lost) in Taichung, my home city here, because I still had no idea what I was doing. Sometimes, I still don’t. Then to Kaohsiung. Then back to Taichung. And then fast forward even further into the future, just after Chinese New Year this year, and Lynn is moving into our apartment. And to think it all started with a little swipe on Tinder because our biographies said something that sparked each other’s interest.
So lesson learned: Tinder is not all bad. There are going to be the occasional idiots who ask you for inappropriate photos or send unsolicited photos, but there are some real gems out there if you are persistent and can handle swiping left a dozen, hundred, or so times before you come across someone who seems to be about the same stuff you are about. And when you’re abroad, you never know who you could meet. So keep an open mind, push yourself out of your comfort zone, trust your gut, and dive right into the social scenes. You’ll thank yourself later for being so bold and who knows? You might just find a best friend out of all the swiping your fingers do every day.
