When we really treat people in the right way, we don’t care what language we use, or which countries that they are from, we just see a human’s needs and we would like to do something for that. That what I think, peace,love…to a person who are with me.

The Taiwanese appear to be nervous of having any meaningful interaction with strangers, and unwilling to give anything away about their own lives to strangers. So while on the surface foreigners (from what I have read, it seems that this applies to “Westerners” only) is very polite, helpful and often appears preferential to the way the locals are treated, it’s really just a way to keep the foreigner at a distance.

On one hand life is made very easy for us here, and I’ve certainly never experienced anything that I could describe as racism or discrimination, on the other hand it can be very frustrating because I realise that whatever I say or do, I will not really be listened to to and the response towards me will be the same. The Taiwanese really are very skilful at controlling the foreigner’s response in this kind of situation !

But I can’t complain too much, at least I have never been made to feel unwelcome in Taiwan. Which is more than I can say for how some comments made by my Taiwanese friends about treatment by local on their visits to European countries.

One other thing, there is a very big difference between the attitude towards people in Taipei city and Taipei county/ further out of town. Walking in the Xinyi district, with my wife and mixed race child, I feel quite comfortable. There are quite a few foreigners around here and the majority of people would not stare.

But for instance cycling along the Danshui river path, the majority of people who I pass will stare (in a rather neutral way, but it still makes me feel uncomfortable), particularly men and older people in general. And double the stares and attention (overwhelmingly positive, I must say) received because I have a mixed race child. If you just want to relax, not have unnecesary attention and be treated how you deserve to be treated, and appreciated for the person you are, then Taiwan can drive your crazy.

After a while, you realise that the best option is not to think too much about the above, accept the situation, and enjoy the many positives about life in Taiwan.

This situation will not change until Taiwan starts to attract foreigners in much greater numbers so we become less of a spectacle and more of a normal part of life in Taiwan. Having said that, is is difficult to imagine Taiwan ever being multicultural, in the way the we know it in the UK/ USA/ Australia etc …. It is quite common for Western men to marry Taiwanese women, but while they will probably be accepted by the woman’s family their situation in society is quite ambiguous. Actually, society or a sense of community here doesn’t really exist, the family is the only thing that matters here.

But, there is still something a more extreme in Taiwan that especially appreciates the west. Taiwanese are no where near familiar with the American pop-culture and entertainment business as most Israelis are, but there is still the initial assumption that what ever comes from the US/Canada is of higher-standard. It’s interesting to note that - culturally, most Israelis and Europeans would highly disagree with that opinion.

The most personal example I can tell is that most Taiwanese who see me and talk to me assume that I’m American or Canadian, and so the initial welcome I get is very warm and curious. Sometimes, quite often, the attitude changes when I tell them I’m actually not American, but that I come from Israel.

An average Taiwanese aspiration usually has to do with either studying, working, or living in the states, with very few exceptions targeting Japan, some settling for the UK or Aussie. The most common question a western student, usually an American/Canadian, is asked by the local students is - “WHY (in God’s name), would you (ever) want to (leave your amazing country and come) study here in Taiwan?”.

(BTW - you should contact Akismet and ask that they remove you from their spam list. They’ll fix that immediately.)

Here’s my perspective of the issue. I think. . .that a majority of the society tend to be pretentious, especially up north. For example, they prefer to see themselves higher up in the social ladder as oppose to their southern counterparts. It should be needless to mention how some view the Taiwanese aboriginals then.

People like to think they fare off better than others. I think this is true in all societies, but in Asian countries, it is magnified. I don’t know if any of you have observed on Taiwanese media the following: encouragement of plastic surgery, slim figures as the only accepted body shape in society (flood of diet pill commercials as opposed to training/exercise informecials in the US), super light skin tone as a symbol of elegance, brand names (Gucci, Prada, so on), and the rest. I live in the states and I have not seen these matters so over-emphasized. It’s like the media is persuading the viewers that it’s okay to be shallow.

It gets me when someone or some group tend to degrade certain social groups to feel distinguished. For example, as mentioned earlier, I don’t see why northern Taiwanese always stress and remark on how uneducated that southern Taiwanese tend to be. Sure, a majority of the southern population are farmers. Sure, Tainan and Kaohsiung may not be as “international” as Taipei. Does it mean that they are brain dead and can’t make wise decisions?

I believe that education broadens an individual’s perspective of things. However, I also believe intelligence “must” go hand in hand with adequate wisdom for one to apply them properly. The actions and behaviors I have observed of these so-called educated people only showcase how uneducated and prejudice they are.

My apologies for digressing so far. Going back to your question: “Do Taiwanese like foreigners in Taiwan?” My answer is “yes, but selective.” A perfect example would be Asian attitude towards black people in the past. If it weren’t for the NBA, music, and the movie industry, I believe the majority of Asia would still hold some bias towards them today.

As a response to Todd and fiLi: Why do you think they treat your SE-Asian friends so differently? I don’t think it’s a matter of racism. My opinion would be it’s the working of their superior complex. Westerners have advance technology, wonderful movies and music, and are excellent in sports. What about our SE-Asian neighbors? This is what I think is buried deep in their head. Indonesians do our housekeeping, Vietnamese are replacements when we can’t seek Taiwanese brides, and Thai(s) work our construction sites. This is sad seeing how ignorant the society could be in certain aspect, yet so acceptive in others. But I wouldn’t blame the people. It’s the media and societie’s fault for not properly educating them on these matters. I bet if your SE-Asian friends were gorgeous looking women, the scenario would be totally different.

the same with me, as one year of LEP (Language Enhancement Program) counts towards the scholarship nomination (and i was hoping to get a PhD-funding for 3 years instead 2).

well, but perhaps this language comprehension is an obsession of small nations like we are? say, Chinese generally don’t speak English (as well as Italians, French, Russians). we have Russians living in Estonia over 40 years and still monolingual.

I am a fan of Nebraska Cornhusker football (a college team in the USA). Nebraska fans are widely known to be “The Greatest Fans in College Football”. It is a well deserved title. However, I now wonder if the actions of many of the fans are dictated more by trying to keep that honorable title rather than by acting naturally and having those actions result in an honorable title/label.

Application to Taiwan? Taiwanese (and all asians in general) are “famous” for their hospitality. I often feel like the warm welcome I receive here is based more on Taiwanese being careful not to ruin that image rather than genuine desire to be friendly with me and get to know me. So… the honorable title/perception is guiding action rather than altruistic action leading to a perception.

I definitely don’t feel much hostility here, though. Outside of some occasions when I feel people are talking about me, the only time I could really mention was a time when my wife was accosted by some Taiwanese when going to visit the doctor several years ago. It was at the Adventist hospital in Taipei and at the time you could pay a little extra and get an appointment at a specific time instead of having a number and just having to wait for your number. My wife used that option (to get a specific time) and when she showed up and was allowed in to see the doctor in front of several people who had been waiting, she was verbally abused (as were the nurses) for getting special foreigner treatment. The nurses did explain that my wife had paid extra for that service, but that led to even more verbal abuse about how rich foreigners were. It was just an isolated incident and we don’t think it represents Taiwanese people, but it was interesting to see some of the feelings that might lurk below the hospitable and friendly image.

In my own personal opinion, as someone who’s been studying for a while but still hasn’t made it to a good-enough level, I see learning Chinese as something essential to try and feel less isolated. It might cost me 400-500US$ a semester, it might be frustrating and a lot of work, but it gives me a sense of purpose here.

With that said, having a local criticize me for not talking Chinese with him is awkward. I have a feeling it hides level of much greater frustration over something I don’t understand than really caring whether I speak Mandarin or not. I would never imagine an Israeli asking foreigners, whether they’ve been staying in Israel for a day or 10 years, why they don’t speak Hebrew. If anything, I would be surprised and extremely respectful should they make any effort to actually learn Hebrew

well, i have been here for over three years, but i do not speak Mandarin at all. and why is that?

my 1st univesity required us to learn ENGLISH for two semesters. when asking for Chinese, we were first refused but then a year later were offered a class in Taipei (around 60 km from our location) with an overlapping agenda. there was no way we could take it.

now in Kaohsiung, we were promised to provide Mandarin classes, but a month has passed and no nothing. just yesterday we got an offer with a schedule overlapping 100% our coursework. there is no way we can take it.

any other options? Ming Chuan’s tuition was so high (NTD 94 K in a year) we could not afford any private language lessons. and we always lived together with foreigners.

sorry, folks. timbutong.