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Tag Archives: roc
Taiwan’s Yellow Journalism Strikes Again
The early morning of May 5, 2015, saw an article posted to The Huffington Post regarding Taiwan and tourism; as you can see from the original link, it’s been removed. There’s not even a redirect: just a blank page. It’s as if The Huffington Post wants absolutely nothing to do with the article. If you’re curious why, you […]
Foreigners in Taiwan Can Forget About Civil Rights
In recent news, a 25-year-old Spanish national living in Taichung was accused of sexual assault by an unnamed 17-year-old Taiwanese girl. This Newport Beach family law lawyers says that as with many democratic nations, Taiwan has laws that are designed to protect those within its borders to ensure fair and just treatment. Taiwan has a variety […]
“Taiwan Should Be More Like Singapore”
A lot of people in Taiwan talk about how they want to be like Singapore. “Taiwan should be more like Singapore.” But the truth is, it’s much better to be Taiwanese than Singaporean, and Taiwan is better than Singapore for most people who live in either. An average person lives a higher-quality life in Taiwan […]
Taiwan Has the Worst Culture
It’s not just the sociological issues or the political obnoxiousness, but the deep resentment they harbor for each other that hits you in the face like your first whiff of stinky tofu. After living in Taiwan for only a short time, it becomes clear to anyone who moves here that Taiwan has the worst culture many people will […]
Taichunger’s Guide: Four-Star HK Visa Run for TW$7000
I’ve written all about visa runs. Visa runs for under NT$10000. The worst visa run you can do. While stigmatized for a variety of reasons (most notably for their being used by English teachers to teach in Taiwan illegally, which I do not advocate), there are all sorts of people who use visa runs. There […]
Why Every Expat Should Have a YouTube Channel
I believe that every expat should have a YouTube Channel. Expats who don’t simply confuse me, for many reasons, the first of which being What You Are Doing Is Cool I don’t care if you’re going hiking in Nepal or getting coffee in a small town in Paris or just walking down the street in […]
“This Is Taiwan”: A Dangerous Taiwanese Excuse
A few months have passed since I wrote “It’s Our Culture” – Taiwan’s Go-To Excuse, but a friend of mine the other night brought it up and made an interesting point: before “It’s our culture” is uttered, “This is Taiwan” is sure to escape their lips first. As I stated in my other piece, “It’s Our Culture” is often said […]
Costco Taiwan Beef Scandal
Of the many food scandals in Taiwan’s recent history, the scandal surrounding Costco Taiwan butchers’ practices with USDA beef is the most recent. Taiwan has had a number of food scandals in recent years, ranging from the food scandal of 2014 to the food scandal of 2013 to the food scandal of 2011. Basically, if you […]
“It’s Our Culture” – Taiwan’s Go-To Excuse
Every culture has it’s throwaway language. The English language, for example, explains away many things with the word “Whatever.” Taiwanese often use the Chinese phrases “There is no reason why” and “There is no solution” in similar ways. They all essentially mean “I’ve got nothing for you; I’m done talking about this.” But when it […]
What It’s Like Living In Taiwan Without Health Insurance
I haven’t had health insurance since 2008, which is a pretty crazy thing to say, given that I live in a country with some of the most affordable and high-quality medical care in the world. National Taiwan Health Insurance, while expensive for the Republic of China (ROC) government of Taiwan, is incredibly cheap for Taiwanese […]
Waiting in Line: It’s Different in Taiwan
A few years back, I commented to a friend of mine about how Taiwan has amazingly long lines and how willing Taiwanese seem to stand in them for long periods of time. For many who first come to Taiwan – and even those who live here for years – the “Line Culture” seen in Taiwan […]
Taiwan Work Visas: Pros and Cons
A lot of people ask me about the pros and cons of having a Taiwan Work Visa, colloquially called an “ARC” (Alien Resident Card). In reality, these are two separate things – one is a visa and one is an identification card. But a question I often get from people is, “Do I need an ARC to […]
Free McDonald’s In Asia
Free McDonald’s In Asia If you live in many parts of Asia (including Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong), there’s a good chance that McDonald’s wants to give you free food every day. This sounds unusual, but we’ll get to the reason behind it soon. Many people from other countries won’t get this free food, […]
Taichunger’s Guide: Classy Overnight in Hong Kong for Under NT$10000
by Joseph Fritz all prices listed in New Taiwan Dollars (NT4:HK1 / NT30:US1 / NT40:EU1) For many expatriates in Taiwan, leaving the country every 60-to-90 days is a normal part of life, and it can be a frustrating part of it. I handle these blasé-but-necessary overnight trips by traveling at as high a standard as possible, […]
My Frustration With the Taichung MRT
My Frustration With the Taichung MRT I live next to a road called Wenxin Lu (said “When-Shin Loo”), in Taichung City, Taiwan, and I’d like to discuss my frustration with the Taichung MRT. Wenxin Lu was a six-lane road with multiple intersections with each intersection having formerly included a turning lane. Before we go any […]
The Cost of Living in Taichung, Taiwan
One of the most important things to understand when living somewhere is the cost of living there: many will need to use a home affordability calculator in these circumstances (like those found on SoFi) to see what expenses are for their home. This is my report on my cost of living in Taichung, Taiwan, as […]
Taiwan’s Child Culture
Something that always fascinates me (and also often frustrates me) is something I like to refer to as “Taiwan’s Child Culture.” The most important thing to understand about any culture is the way they raise their children. Without question, the key to any culture is education. Education is indoctrination: it’s where we learn what society […]
Detailed Taichung Population Density
This Is a Simple But Detailed Taichung Population Density Report If you’re moving to Taichung, you’re probably looking online to find a detailed Taichung population density information. Officially, Taichung has 2.6 million people spread out over 1500mi2 translating into a population density of around 1800 per mi2, but that’s pretty misleading. 90% of the population lives in […]
Taichung Apartment Rent Guide
2013 Taichung Apartment Rent Guide I spend a lot of time thinking about real estate in Taichung, so I’ve made a simple Taichung Apartment Rent Guide. I wanted to share what I’ve found about the cost of living here in Taiwan. Costs range quite a lot here in Taichung, but this should give you some […]
Riding in Taiwan: How to Avoid Dying
I began riding in Taiwan back in 2008. Well, actually, it was a motorcycle. A sweet ride called a Yamaha RXZ (or RZX) 135cc two-stroke. A few weeks after getting Max, I got myself into an accident. I had never ridden before I came to Taiwan and the principles of centrifugal force were very new […]
jsphfrtz’s How-To Guide to Taiwan Visa Runs
When you live in Taiwan, chances are you will have to do a “Taiwan visa run” at some point. A lot of the information in this piece is outdated. I recommend you look at my February 2014 piece about Visa Runs. I’ve lived in Taiwan, off-and-on, since January 2008. My total time in Taiwan clocks […]
No Taiwan ARC? No problem!
If you’ve read my past blogs, you know that I talk about all kinds of random trouble in Taiwan, from banking to shopping to dealing with the government of the ROC. One of the most common frustrations with people without a Taiwan ARC is hearing the words, “No ARC? No…no…” Because of the way Taiwanese bureaucracy operates, […]
Traffic Deaths in Taiwan: Know the Truth
Many of us wonder about traffic deaths in Taiwan; statistics are difficult to find (most of what’s reported is in Chinese). One of the only decent raw resources can be found here, and it’s from 1993. So what was Taiwan like twenty years ago? A study was done of 4,329 traffic injury reports and the […]
Enough With The Ghost Money
There’s nothing like watching a pair of fire trucks pass by, sirens wailing, and thinking, “Gee, I wonder if this has anything do to with the fact that everyone has been setting shit on fire in the streets for the entire day.” I’m a pretty accepting person, in terms of cultural differences. Not personal differences, though; […]
My Taiwan Apartment in Taichung City
Taiwan Apartment I moved to Taiwan in January 2008; after almost two years, I went back to the USA. Then I moved back in October 2010. And then I moved back to the USA in December 2011. And, now, I’m back in Taiwan, again, since this past August. I have always lived in the City […]
Teaching in Taiwan – The Basics, Before You Come
There’s many routes to take, regarding teaching in Taiwan. Since there are a lot of outdated resources out there on the subject, I thought I’d write about a few of them, to give people some idea what to expect in 2012 Taiwan. First of all, I live in Taichung – that is my perspective on […]
Foreign Drivers in Taiwan: More Fun Dealing With the ROC Government
As I wrote yesterday, dealing with the government in Taiwan can be a little absurd. Today’s example is their motor vehicle regulations. First of all, unless you have a Resident Visa (ARC), you can not register a vehicle in Taiwan. Nobody can explain why. The funny part is, if you register a vehicle under your […]
Visa Extensions in Taiwan – Another Example of Asinine ROC Bureaucracy
There are a lot of great things about Taiwan. But this isn’t gonna’ be about those. This is about how annoying Taiwan’s Bureaucracy is. You have to understand that the concept of “majority rules” goes haywire here. Nails that stick out are hammered down or, as the Taiwanese put it, the fattest pig is the […]
I Need To Write Every Day
I’m going to try to start doing that more, like I did in college. Back then, I was impressed when I would pound out 8000 words in an all-nighter. Now, I can do 2000 words an hour without breaking a sweat. So, why don’t I write more? As I age, am I becoming more jaded? […]