My Love and Hate Relationship with Taiwan

Given seeing Taiwan in the news lately I've been thinking about the country with fondness. I have to admit that I do miss Taiwan. I don't think I will ever go back there, but if circumstances were different, I would like to at least once more. Let me tell you a little bit about our history in a timeline:

The end of 2006

-moved to Taiwan to teach English, even though I hadn't been on an airplane or travelled anywhere basically

-taught English to kids and lived with roommates, even though I would consider myself super shy- more so back then

-met someone and ended up getting pregnant almost right before my year there was up- I want to say I was ridiculous

-came back to Canada then went back two weeks later to get married- I want to say big mistake

-went back to Canada after three months and gave birth here

-went back to Taiwan to raise my daughter there

-lots of ups and downs in between including a miscarriage at 6m pregnant and the birth of my son

-left to come live back here with the plan of getting my then husband citizenship

The beginning of 2016

I didn't master the language. I did however learn a lot about the culture having lived in a traditional Taiwanese family living arrangement. I lived with my husband and his parents in their home since my husband was the eldest son. In many ways this was no picnic. But I will agree that that type of arrangement has its benefits if the relationships involved are healthy. So, what did I learn?

-Taiwan has lots of culture and traditions. This is part of what drew me in to the idea of raising a kid as part of this culture. Compared to Canada it just felt so colorful and alive. For example, during Chinese New Year there are foods you eat that each have different meanings, like fish for prosperity. You also eat candies so that you will speak sweet words and have a blessed year in return. There are lots of superstitions to be aware of, for example crying during Chinese New Year will bring bad luck for you. As well, sweeping during Chinese New Year will sweep away your good luck. Number 4 is related to death and writing someone's name in red pen is considered bad. These are just a small handful. There is so much I could say about this topic it would have to be a whole article in itself.

-Taiwan is serious about food. You can have every food under the sun here. And it's everywhere and very convenient. One of my favorite foods was bitter gourd with salty duck egg. Good thing I have an adventurous palate. I couldn't bring myself to eat chicken feet, but I did eat chicken's testicles. Food and cooking became a sensitive subject for me here. It was hard enough being a wife and mother for the first time. Throw in in laws that are always judging your choices around how you are feeding your kid and a husband that would rather eat his mom's cooking, and it can be really hard on your self esteem.

-Taiwan has some beautiful landscape. My favorite place to be was in the mountains and it is easy to escape into nature not far from the city. There is also a lot of pollution and what seems like disregard for nature and living creatures. I went to some sad "petting zoos". One of my favorite ways to travel in Taiwan was on the railway. For me it felt very romantic, but was also an everyday travel experience for many people. The highspeed train was a pretty fun way to travel too!

-Taiwanese study and work hard, but they also play hard. I remember teaching English to the kids and how I was shocked by how much time they spent doing school. When I asked what they liked to do in their spare time the most common question was that they liked to sleep. It wasn't long before I took my daughter out of the school system and back to Canada because of the amount of work was involved for her. Kids often go to school and then go to cram school after. However, places like night markets make downtime lots of fun. Night markets have cheap delicious food, games, and cheap toys and clothes. They are a really fun way to spend some time winding down after a bust day of work. Some of my favorite things to eat were fried seasoned mushrooms, fried noodles, and these sweet deep fried "sandwiches" made from crackers and taro in the middle.

Now that I'm reflecting on my Taiwan experience, I realize there is so much to say. If you're interested in knowing more about my firsthand experience in Taiwan, look for my second article where I will expand on this one.