大家好 and hello to you, reader! This fortnight’s blog post is about experiences I’ve found interesting as I settle into 台南/Tainan. They’ve challenged my cultural disposition as a second-generation Chinese-New Zealander in Taiwan. Reader, I hope you enjoy the journey through my thoughts. McDonald’s Mcdonald’s has unfortunately become my weekly haunt. The familiarity of the…Continue Reading McDonald’s, Tradition and Cultural Identity
It has now been over 3 weeks since I landed in Taiwan. I feel like I have now upgraded from experiencing the initial thrill of discovering a new culture, new habits and new environments, to developing my own sense of home. Although I’ve only been in Tainan for a short amount of time, the experiences…Continue Reading An unexpected turn
After being used to single rooms, living in a dorm with someone else has been a new experience. I am grateful to have a great roommate (shout out to Tessa), and so far so good! The first good thing about moving into the school dorms was finally being able to wash clothes, especially because it…Continue Reading Chapter Two: Dorm Life, Uni Life, Shopping Life
I don’t know about you but when I imagine celebrating a Winter Christmas, my mind immediately goes to snow, hot chocolate by the fire and ice skating, however Winter Christmas in Tainan was definitely not that! First of all, Christmas isn’t widely celebrated in Tainan and isn’t a public holiday so in the days leading…Continue Reading A Winter(?) Christmas in Tainan!
As our first week of freedom drew to a close and our impending classes loomed on the horizon, I began to settle into a more regular routine. The reality of classes beginning daily at 9am and my insistence on receiving a nightly eight hours of sleep meant I began to closely watch my bedtime in…Continue Reading Dorm life and settling into a daily routine
Tainan is a beautiful city with architecture hailing from multiple different periods. However, it has forced me to recognise and think about another aspect of civic beauty we often neglect – our footpaths. Despite the time we spend admiring the skylines above us, we take very little time to look down at our feet. Tainan’s…Continue Reading Mind the gap
Part Three: The Purpose Being a language exchange, we of course have Chinese language classes at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Chinese Language Center (成功大學華語中心). I was originally placed in H class based on a test done prior when I was still in NZ, but after discussing with the teacher, I decided to move down…Continue Reading Chapter One: 8,765 km (continued)
The cans of coffee from 7/11 taste like sugared water, but I’m still buying them. There’s just something about opening the fridge door and that sweet feeling of selecting something out of ten different options, of carrying a coffee in your hand when you walk to class. It makes the class feel less class-y and…Continue Reading Tianxia in Tainan: Lessons in Learning, and Other Adventures
Recently, I’ve found myself comparing Tainan to my hometown, Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland. It’s no question that Tainan is different from Tamaki Makaurau, with its boisterous traffic like a chaotic but orderly anthill, its buildings crouched over the footpath and its alleyways quiet, culturally rich enclaves. …Continue Reading Unalikes and Likes
It’s official: fifteen of us have landed in Taiwan and settled in the beautiful city of Tainan! It has been a week since we landed, and my mind has finally touched ground to realise that the Sky Tower is 8,773 km away (according to Google). It took me a while to use my sight to…Continue Reading A new beginning.