Living Abroad Q & A

Recently, I was interviewed by a group of Taiwanese high school students for their English class project about my experience living in Taiwan. I enjoyed it so much that I thought it'd be great to put it on the blog.

Here it is:

Q: What are some differences between Taiwan and your home country?

A: There are quite a few differences between Taiwan and the USA, besides the fact that Taiwan is an island off the coast of China and roughly the size of the state of Georgia. Taiwan has much more efficient public transportation, with one of the highest rated metro systems, a high speed rail connecting the north and south, and the expansive, affordable buses. Taiwan also has a better health care system, being much more affordable and efficient. Taiwan is a safer country and one of the safest countries in the world. The USA is simply not as safe. USA is a lot more diverse than Taiwan, with citizens from all over the world. We have some of the best ideas and technological advancements in the world because of our eclectic population. The communication style is different as well, the US being more direct and the Taiwanese being ambiguous. When you're speaking with Taiwanese, there could be underlying meanings, which, at times, can be frustrating if you want to talk more directly.


Q: Are there any different impressions of Taiwan you have after arriving?

A: I didn't realize how green it was going to be. I knew there many hiking areas in the mountains, and there would be green there. But the streets are lined with trees and you can clearly see the green mountains from almost every part of the city. Also, Taiwan is even more convenient than I thought it was going to be. From the public transportation to the 7-11s and Family Marts, everything runs super efficiently. Lastly, I did not realize that Taipei has almost everything you need. I expected it would be hard to find many things that I'm used to in my home country, but that's not the case.

Q: Have you encountered any problems in Taiwan? What did you do to solve them?

A: Yes, I've encountered many problems here. I will tell you the two biggest problems and how I've solved them, and then I will quickly mention some others. The first problem is adjusting to a totally new environment, both culturally and geographically. I solved this problem by being open with others and learning as much as I could. I was lucky to have stayed in a hostel where the people were so friendly, and relationships began blossoming from the people I had met there. Be empathetic, understanding, curious, and willing to have some fun, and things will work out for you. The second problem is communication. Communication in Taiwan is much different than in the USA as I have mentioned. When you have a language barrier, you can't get frustrated, you kind of just have to smile, and use your phone dictionary, hand movements, simple English, ask someone else, just be as creative as possible to figure something out. I've had to do many times. Now, I've lost a debit card and cell phone, missed my flight to Taipei from Okinawa, stuck on the railroad tracks in a typhoon for 5 hours from Taichung standing room only, ran low on cash, hitchhiked in the middle of nowhere Taiwan, and was lost countless times including the first day I got to Taipei. In these situations, you just have to try to maintain a positive attitude and figure out the quickest and most cost effective solution.



Q: What is your plan for the future?

A: I don't think I have a set five year or ten year plan. I still have plenty of time to explore, and plan on taking full advantage of that. My outline of a plan would be to find a career that I enjoy immensely and am passionate about, and to raise a great family. Being in Asia, there are many more doors to be opened. But I'm just going through life right now learning as much as I can, finding challenges, questioning different aspects of life, and gaining new perspectives.


Q: Can you introduce the culture and characteristics of your country?

A: Culture in America is hard to describe because there is a lot of diversity, so there are many different pieces from people all around the world. We call it a "melting pot." Generally, we are very into sports: American football, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey are the biggest with soccer growing rapidly. We love going out to eat, and there are a lot of options for us thanks to the various cultures. Fast food still plays a major role in our society, and it's unhealthy, but many Americans eat it because it's convenient for them. We are also obsessed with our cars, and love to drive everywhere. Basically, our whole city planning is designed around people having cars. And finally, we love our independence and focus on individuality. People enjoy standing out and being different from others, and take pride in that.

Q: How will you introduce Taiwan to your friends and family?

A: I will introduce Taiwan as a beautiful country with kind people. It provides a comfortable lifestyle and is a great access point to visit other places in Asia. Taipei was recently voted as the #1 place for expats to live by InterNations.com. There are a lot of interesting foods, and plenty of things to do around the island. If you want to go to the beach or climb a mountain, it's just one hour away.

Q: Please tell us what one has learned from the experiences in Taiwan?

I've learned a lot, but acceptance, thankfulness, patience, empathy, and living in the present stand out.

Election Day Classroom Fun

Throughout my time in Taiwan, you've seen what happens outside the classroom. But now you'll get a little glimpse of what life is like inside. I had one of the most fun lessons thus far teaching my fifth graders about the American elections. I can't go into too much depth with them because much of it's obviously really complex, but it doesn't matter because we had some great fun together.

The vocabulary list I focused on included: vote, debate, promises, president, advertisement (to combine with the "Advertising" unit), and of course, Election Day. I started by introducing the class to the election of the president, where all the people in the country "vote" to see who will be "elected" as "president." We held a quick vote to see who would be president of the class. The students decided, and the nearly unanimous vote went to Regina, one of my favorite students. What the kids didn't know is that Regina would later be running against "Teacher Douglas" for the Taiwanese presidency.

I wanted the students to create their own political advertisement for Regina, so after quickly explaining advertising and advertisements, I had each of the students come up to add their ideas to Regina's campaign poster. The final product wasn't bad! Regina 2016! :)

I finally told them that I would be competing against Regina for the Taiwanese presidency, and they were shocked. It drew some questions like, "But you were not born in Taiwan!" I responded, "They said it was okay this time!" So Regina and I conducted a debate, and the rest of the students could ask us questions. The most important question in the students' minds, which I was impressed with, was "Will you help poor people?" I said, "Of course I will, I will give them what they need." "What will you do if you are President?" asked another student. I responded to great applause, "I will send everyone to Tokyo Disneyland!!" However, Regina countered with, "No school for everyone!!!" Regina wins. We voted on who would be elected Taiwan's president, and Regina won in a landslide. I garnered a total of 1 vote.

Next, I introduced them to the American candidates, through pictures of Donald J. Trump and Hillary R. Clinton. Comments rang out from the students, "He's fat..." "He's ugly..." "They're so old..." I couldn't stop laughing. "I don't like them," said one of the students. Fair play. We discussed what a president does, and I explained that the president is the leader of their country, and they try to help the people in their country and work with other world leaders to improve important things. I asked them a question from the book, "What is the most important trait in a president?" They decided on honesty, because you need to be able to trust the person who is leading. Something that is lacking in a big way in Washington.

Now, it was time for grand finale. The USA election. The students were ready to cast their small ballots I cut out for them which said "Trump" and "Clinton," and checkboxes for each. Before we started, Jenny asked, "Will they help poor people?" Of course I had to have some more fun, and said "No they won't, they will only help rich people." Funnily enough, most of the evidence we've seen supports my claim. Might be oversimplified, but I don't think it's too far off. Another intelligent question was asked: "Can we write another person's name on the paper?" I grinned and said "Yes, you can." The students voted, and I collected them and read them out loud. The students thought one person would be better than voting for Trump or Clinton - and that person was me. I won the presidency of the United States. The students went wild, and proceeded to draw some funny faces on the other unfit candidates. And thus, the Election Day classroom fun had concluded.