The Essential Mental Packing List for Study Abroad Students in Taiwan

Your flight is a week away and you are super excited to start your study abroad in Taiwan. Your suitcase is already filled with cotton t-shirts, sneakers, a supply of deodorant, a toothbrush, a Chinese-English dictionary, your passport and visa, and of course a good stash of quality dark chocolate.

But what about your mental suitcase?

Before you embark on any relatively long-term project abroad you need to be prepared for new customs, new thought patterns, new tastes, new language, new beliefs, new sounds–new everything. Basically, you need to be prepared for culture shock.

One major point to note:

• Culture shock does not come in one shape and size. We all come from our own different cultural backgrounds, so naturally our experiences among new cultures will also be different. Therefore, some of the following coping mechanisms might work for you while others might not. Also, some of what you experience in Taiwan may be very stressful to you, but may be wholly insignificant to your friend.

And now, a short mental checklist (to be edited and updated periodically):

Rain or shine, time to break out the umbrella.

• Taiwan’s weather is mad-eye MOODY. (Please excuse the really bad HP allusion).

Spend one day in Taipei and you may experience blue sunny skies, sweltering humidity, torrential downpours and cold damp temperatures. If this does not eventually affect your mood, you are not human. Also, weather forecasts are useless; my rough guestimation is that they are correct maybe 10% of the time.

o How to Cope: Learn from the locals—always carry an umbrella (they sell them everywhere here for $100NT). They protect you not only from the rain, but also from the brutal sun. I would also recommend always having a plan B. You may plan an amazing five day trip to the Kending complete with hiking, sandy beaches and surfing for yourself and your best friend who has traveled all the way from the U.S. to visit you. Then it rains. It pours. It downright monsoons. (Believe me, it happened). This is where an alternate itinerary (like visiting the hot springs and checking out the local aboriginal culture) comes in handy so you won’t be too disappointed. Also, pack appropriate clothing and allergy medications before you arrive.

• Not everyone in Taiwan speaks English. Big surprise this one, I know. But I’ve also come across a handful of foreigners who continually bemoan the fact that they cannot understand the locals and the locals cannot understand them. If you weren’t already aware, the official language in Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese, though many people also speak Hoklo (or “Taiwanese”) and other indigenous languages. Sometimes you may experience being in a supposedly English-taught class and the professor will begin to speak in Chinese. Don’t panic. Understand that there are some local students in class that might not fully understand a concept or idea unless explained in their own language. However, if this becomes a problem (ie: the professor persists in repeatedly speaking Chinese for long lengths of times), then talk with the professor privately about your concern and if it still does not change, speak to a representative in your school’s international office (at NCCU, the OIC)

o How to Cope: Study a little Mandarin before you arrive. This doesn’t have to be much—just enough to learn about the four tones and maybe a little about the history of the language. Learning a few basic phrases, such as how to properly say ‘hello’, ‘thank you’, ‘this one’ and ‘I want/I don’t want’ wouldn’t hurt either. You will most likely learn a lot more once you get here and there are plenty of friendly people willing to help, but you will feel a lot more comfortable if you have some background in the language beforehand.

• Wearing surgical masks. Many people in Taiwan, as well as throughout East Asia, wear surgical masks. (They even come in fancy colors and patterns now!).

Masks are sexy here!

Coming from the West, we are often suspicious of people who cover their faces; it implants a spatial separation we are generally uncomfortable with, and also may suggest sickness or disease (as my Dad remarked, it reminds him of  those old doomsday sci-Fi flicks about the plague). However, people here sincerely believe  wearing a mask will either protect them from getting sick, or will prevent them from spreading germs. Whatever the validity of the claim may be, remember the context. East Asia’s recent experience with SARS and H1N1 scares has prompted many to prepare for the worst.  Moreover, with so many people living in one place, the Taiwanese are very wary of the potential of one virus.

• Noise. Forget the stereotype of the quiet little Asian man. Taiwanese people are LOUD–and all the more so when they share a big meal together. Want evidence? Simply mozy on over to any restaurant, bar or cafe in Taipei. More significant, however, is noise tolerance in general. Be prepared to encounter high levels of noise due to traffic, the garbage man jingle, trucks blaring advertisements for political candidates, construction at 8AM, neighbors arguing and fireworks.

o How to Cope: Pack some earplugs just in case and your own mp3 player. Find a quiet spot in the city and visit it at least once a week.

• I’d like some food with my oil, please. One of the most difficult quirks about Taiwan that I’ve had to adjust to is the liberal amount of oil they use in cooking. You can readily find most anything in some fried form–deep-fried, stir-fried, pan-fried–you name it, they fry it. Most vegetable dishes are also fried and, I’ve found, usually drowning in oil to the point where all nutritional content has disappeared. Be prepared to have to adjust to local flavors–it may be difficult to find the foods you are used to eating, especially for those with certain dietary restrictions. But before you write off Taiwanese cuisine as a whole, make sure you try as many different types of foods here as possible: night market snacks, different regional and aboriginal cuisines (including from mainland China), as well as Taiwan’s international food scene.

o How to Cope: Bring some spices and local foodstuffs from home that don’t go bad. Buy fresh vegetables and other produce and cook your own food. This is always the best method to eat healthier, and more critically, to eat exactly what you want to eat. True, this is also difficult for students who live in the dormitories where cooking is forbidden, but students can still purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, wash them and eat them raw. You can also ask for your food to be prepared with less oil when you order. Of course, obviously not *everything* is fried or cooking with oil. Look for steamed, boiled or grilled options (you usually won’t find baked/roasted/broiled because most people don’t use ovens).

• Smile for the Camera. No use beating a dead horse. Refer to my recent post for a fuller explanation.

o How to Cope: Taking a word of advice from good friend Daniel, when and if this happens, kindly decline and explain to the person who is asking that you are a resident of Taiwan and that not all foreigners like to have their picture taken.

• Food is not served all at once. When you go to a Western-style restaurant with a group of friends, be prepared to wait a while for your food. Often your friend’s meal will come out and you will have to wait up to twenty more minutes or more for your own to follow. This is mostly due to the tradition of family-style eating. If you go to a Taiwanese style restaurant or eat in someone’s home, all of the food will be put on plates in the center of the table and you will be expected to share and serve yourself. Thus, dishes typically do not come out all at once because everyone can begin eating once the first dish is served. For some reason, this has translated over to almost all of the restaurants in Taiwan.

o How to Cope: Inform the waiter that you would like all of the dishes to be served at the same time (this sometimes does and sometimes does not work). I would better suggest, however, that you do like the locals and eat once your meal is served. Don’t worry about “being polite”–that Western custom simply does not apply here. Also, I would recommend telling the waiter that your want your drink first or served with the main meal; often, drinks are otherwise served last, like dessert. Bon appetit!

And finally, the two universal coping mechanisms: (1) Learn how to practice cultural relativity—the ability to put yourself in someone else’s cultural “shoes”. What does this entail? Trying to think about the reason *why* people behave the way they do here. What is the value behind the action? What does this person believe? For example, before you accuse someone for being stupid to put shrimp in your “vegetarian” stir-fry, put yourself in their cultural mindset. Many Taiwanese do not consider fish or shellfish to be meat. Learn from these experiences. This time, politely inform them that you also cannot eat shellfish and can they please make a new dish. Next time, make sure you make it clear exactly what foods you cannot eat when ordering and again politely ask them to repeat it back to you to make sure the order is correct.

Cultural relativity means that an observer cannot condemn any practice in which culture engages. In other words, cultural relatively does not allow us to judge another culture, even when its practices are inhumane. Cultural respect requires us to be aware that our own ways are not the only ways, but it allows us to judge others when warranted.

"Don't let ignorance be an excuse."

(2) Learn to develop empathy. This is hardly a conscious act, but it should be an obligation. Cultural empathy refers to the ability to accurately understand the experiences of people from diverse cultures and to convey that understanding responsively. When you are empathetic, you are able to develop an emotional and psychological bond with another person or social group. Ultimately, you become “other”-oriented and THAT is an invaluable life skill.

Don’t let your ignorance be an excuse. Being mentally prepared will enable you and the others around you to have a smoother and more enjoyable experience abroad.

For those who are already here, perhaps take some time to reevaluate your own attitudes and behaviors. I know I could definitely benefit from an attitude readjustment every so often as well. Nobody likes a complainer and it is all to easy to fall into the trap of being negative about everything. It’s not *that* bad and, if it is, then go home. Nobody is forcing you to be here.

Also, for those who are already here, what are some other cultural quirks you have encountered in Taiwan and how did you learn to cope?

For those who are now mentally packing, don’t let any of this alarm you. You are about to embark on an exciting journey full of wonderful and surprising experiences that only Taiwan can uniquely supply. Be proud of taking the leap and being adventurous–you will not regret it!

See you on the other side.

Yellow Fever, Foreign Moons 黃色戀情‧外國月亮比較圓

A Modest Proposal and Why I Hate the Phrase “外國人”. Better to call us “monkeys”.

For Preventing the Foreigners in Taiwan from being a Burden to the Locals and Country, and Making them Beneficial to the Public.

It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great city or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the parks, the noodle shop doors, crowded with foreigners, followed by three, four, or six other waiguoren, all in jeans and flip-flops and minding their own business. These foreign devils, instead of being able to stay inside their apartments and dorm rooms for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ their time in strolling and sight-seeing and enjoying sustenance with their friends and family: who as they find they like it here decide to look for work, or leave their dear native countries to study Chinese, or marry young Taiwanese girls.

I think it is agreed by all parties that this prodigious number of foreigners in the malls, or on the MRT, or on the buses, or at the banks, and frequently at the bars, is in the present deplorable state of the Republic a very great additional grievance; and, therefore, whoever could find out a fair, cheap, and easy method of making these waiguoren sound, useful members of the democracy, would deserve so well of the public as to have his or her 7-11 replica toy created for a preserver of the nation.

But my intention is very far from being confine to provide only for the expats in Taiwan; it is of a much greater extent, and shall take in the whole number of waiguoren who are located throughout Greater China and there known mostly as laowai.

As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many months upon this important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of other projectors, I have always found them grossly mistaken in the computation. It is true, a foreigner fresh off the boat may make a fool of him or herself for a lunar year, with little awareness; at most not being able to say anything more in Chinese than “謝謝“, which the locals may certainly understand, or find amusing, by the foreigners’ feeble attempts; but even after they improve in the language I propose to continue to provide for them in such a manner that they shall contribute to national education, and partly to the curiosity and amusement of many thousands.

There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those who do not have their digital camera or phone at the ready from missing a quality photo-op. Alas! Too frequent among us! Sacrificing the potential Facebook-worthy photograph, which would move tears and awe in the most worldly Taiwanese senior high schooler or family member.

I shall now therefore humble propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection.

I have been assured by a very knowing Taiwanese of my acquaintance in Taipei, that a healthy foreigner with half-decent or “exotic” features is at any time a most interesting, strange and desirable subject to stare at and admire, whether white, black, blond-haired, brunette, fat, skinny, young, or old; and I make no doubt that the fascination equally extends to Latinos, Americans, Europeans, Arabs, Indians or Africans.

I do therefore humbly offer it public consideration that of the hundred upon thousands of foreigners currently located in Taiwan and Greater China, twenty thousand may be reserved for permanent exhibition in the local zoo, whereof one-fourth only to be American; which is actually a greater percentage of the actual total foreign population that exists here; and my reason is, that most Taiwanese automatically assume foreigners are from America anyway. That the rest of the foreign population be relegated to rotating exhibits; these should display the foreigners doing funny things, like reading a Chinese newspaper, eating stinky tofu, or listening to K-Pop music. A foreign child will attract even more local Taiwanese people to the exhibit because they are usually “很可愛!”. An entire foreign family will also garner a reasonable amount of interest, and given a golden retriever puppy will be a very popular display indeed.

I have reckoned upon a medium that a foreigner zoo such as this will garner 100,000 visitors, and in a lunar year, if tolerably promoted through the TV news, Facebook, and annoying television commercials featuring Super Junior, increaseth to 1 million visitors.

I grant this endeavor will be somewhat tricky, and therefore very proper for Taiwanese junior high school students, who, as they have already determined special interest in these foreigners and are most “好開心!” to take pictures with them, seem to have the best title to the creation and arrangement of the exhibition.

The exhibitions will be popular throughout the year, but visitors will be more plentiful on the weekends, and maybe a day before and after; for we are told by many an old taitai that the children must do their go to school, go to buxiban, practice their musical instrument, and  do at least six hours of extra homework per day before they are allowed out into regular society. And therefore the zoo will have one other collateral advantage: by being an extra lesson in world cultures for the students of the ROC. They can thus readily observe how the foreigners behave in their native states.

I have already computed the charge for entry into the zoo (in whose worth I reckon all costs of keeping the foreigners happy, labor costs, and perceived value by the Taiwanese customer after factoring in potential government subsidies) to be about $60NT per person, a complimentary foreigner cell-phone charm included; and I believe no student would repine to give $40NT for entry for the entertainment of taking photographs of foreigners, which as I have said, would be a good opportunity for the student to learn about different peoples, when he or she hath only some exaggerated or romanticized vision of foreigners from the TV.

As to our city of Taipei, one area may be designated for this purpose in the most convenient part of it. The current Taipei Zoo for animals is one such  reasonable place since it is already equipped with the necessary facilities.

I think the advantages by the proposal which I have made are obvious and many, as well as of the highest importance.

For first, as I have already observed, it would greatly lessen the number of foreigners crowding our city, with whom our nightmarkets are yearly overrun, being the principal tourist destinations of the nation as well as home to our most delicious foods.

Secondly, the less educated citizens will have an opportunity to learn from these foreigners. Special learning workshops can also be set up in the zoo for this purpose, or better yet, giant tour group programs can be provided for our citizens’ comfort.

Thirdly, Whereas the maintenance of an hundred thousand foreigners or more, from all over the world, cannot be computed at less than $60 per annum, the nation’s stock will be thereby increased five million NT per annum, beside the profit of millions of new photographs of foreigners uploaded and shared on the Internet.

Fourthly, the returning visitors, beside the gain in popularity and admiration of their unique photographs by their fellows, will be rid of the charge of full entry if they use their 悠遊卡.

Fifthly, this would also relieve some burden on the foreigners themselves; where they might have been once ambushed by the determined Taiwanese high-schooler or parent wanting the foreigner to speak to his or her child in English, they no longer have to worry about being randomly and unexpectedly bothered. Instead, photographs and free short English lessons will be assumed at any time. Of course, the foreigner need not make the “peace” sign when a photo is taken and will be given two hours off duty per day…

I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the public good of my country, by advancing our international reputation, providing for our students, relieving the wearied 7-11 worker, and giving some disturbed personal pleasure to the greater populace.

Ok, clearly I am really bored and really do not feel like writing my art history paper. My point is, anyway, (if you decided to just skim through that or were bored after the first two sentences) that this fascination with taking photos of and with foreigners in Taiwan is a major problem. But I’m not naive: Before I embarked on my journey to the Far East, I expected incessant stares and strange looks from the locals in China and other countries in Asia. I knew it came with the territory–if you don’t grow up around or interact often with people who don’t look like you, naturally you would be curious. It’s not the US where (at least in my hometown) anyone–Asian, European, Latin American– has the opportunity to at least blend in and become “American” no matter what they look like. In China, the influx of foreigners (while decently large now) is still quite recent. That’s ok with me.

I adjusted quickly to the perpetual staring in Jiangyin every day on my walk to work, no matter how many times I walked past the same people. It was easy to simply respond with a friendly ‘hello!’ or occasional ‘ni hao!’ when they shouted excitedly “Hello! How are you?!” when I went to buy groceries or to the bank. I even allowed my picture to be taken with the proud father who was so excited to have his little daughter photographed with such a “漂亮的美國女生”.

OK.

Then I went to Shanghai. Big city, full of foreigners everywhere you turned–I blended in well. (Except, of course, during that one incident in the Oriental Pearl Tower when the old Chinese tourist tried to position his camera so that I appeared in the background of his family’s photograph. That was weird). For the most part, nobody gave me a second glance. Same in South Korea. I really like those South Koreans. No biggie.

Flash forward to nine months in Taipei.

I don’t want to think about how many random cameras I’m on in this country. Some of my readers who are friends with me on Facebook might have noticed my recent freak-out online the other day after one “can-I-take-a-picture-with-you?” incident too many. Apologies for the shouting, but the more I think about it, the more I realize how disturbing this fascination with taking pictures of foreigners is.

First of all, the label of “外國人” (waiguoren) or literally “outside-country person” already poses a separation between “us” and “them”. While it is a very appropriate term for an Eastern culture to employ (generally they are characterized by in-group/out-group social constructions), the real problem in this increasingly globalized world is that this concept is still taught from an early age. While most early Taiwanese people will utter this term softly when talking with friends in the presence of foreigners, young Taiwanese children do not hesitate to stop, point, and shout excitedly “waiguoren!!” It’s like the perverse delight kids in the US get out of saying “punch-buggy-no-punch-backs” and then punch their friend when they spot a VW Beetle. A six year old boy said this to me this past weekend when I was entering the National Theater in Taipei to collect some information. He was standing with his large extended family in front of the concert hall and immediately upon shouting as such, I looked at him as they all turned to look at me. I gave him a raised-eyebrow look and wry smile. He went beet red. His entire family started laughing. In that moment I laughed too, but how could this little boy who is barely old enough to know anything about the ways of the world and things like racism and prejudice, be already so attune to the idea of “outsiders”? If a six year old already considers me something strange or alien, how can I ever be accepted into such a society? No matter how long I live here, no matter how fluent I become in the language, no matter how knowledgeable I am about the nation’s pop-culture, politics, or customs, I will never be a Taiwanese.

Secondly, Taipei isn’t exactly lacking in foreigners. They’re everywhere–schools, office buildings, restaurants, parks, night markets, KTV, the laundro-mat–anywhere you would expect to find a Taiwanese person, you can at one point find a “waiguoren”. Even when I am not on campus, a day doesn’t go by in which I don’t see at least ten other random foreigners. Basically, I don’t understand why  a picture of a foreigner should be considered such a prize if we’re so common.

Thirdly, what do they do with these pictures of us? True, in many instances I am asked for my picture by students as proof that they talked to a foreigner for their English homework (which is a whole other issue in and of itself). But otherwise, what is the goal? To show their friends and family that they are worldly enough to have been a place with a foreigner? To remember what a foreigner looks like (you could just turn on the TV…)? Is it a fad? Some game I’m simply not aware of? Seriously…WHY?

Maybe it’s something like the explanation for why Asian people hold up two fingers whenever they take a picture: Why *don’t* you do that? It’s what you are supposed to do when you take a picture (duhhh).

Sigh. Whatever the cultural explanation is eludes me.

>>>My awareness was certainly heightened two weeks ago when my family came to visit. On our last full day together we decided to take a trip to the Taipei Zoo. As my brother and I sat outside the panda house waiting for our parents, we were attacked by a group of six or seven junior high girls exiting the exhibit and who of course asked to take a picture with us. What followed was a short photo shoot with each girl rotating so they could each be in the picture. I swear, they were infinitely more excited to get a snapshot of us than any of the sleepy pandas in the building. Their high-pitched squeals of “我好開心ooo!” as they skipped away haunted me as my family and I moved on to the next animal exhibit: the monkey exhibit.

All of this taken together, I guess my only plea is for people here to realize that people from other countries do not generally appreciate having their picture taken. Nor is it an accepted practice for us to take pictures of tourists who come to our countries. In fact, I could never in my wildest imagination think of actually doing that. Also, we don’t want to help you with your English homework (unless we’re being paid to do so). Sorry.

Am I severely out of line for saying this? Please correct me if I am. I would enjoy some peace of mind.

Really? Again, attacked in Danshui. All I wanted to do was enjoy my Froyo and watch the sunset.

Best in Show

Interesting constructivist perspective from Forbes Asia: “Why China’s Pop-Culture Icons Matter“  on China’s position international relations.

Jay Chou

The author basically argues that a large part of the reason why China has traditionally remained a unilateralist player in the international arena is because it lacks a foreign policy ‘hero’ the people can rally around. Coinciding with China’s rise to the world stage, the author wonders whether the nation’s hero-worship has changed and if this indicates a change in China’s stance as a isolationist or multilateralist country.

Certainly, its national icons have been diversifying in recent years–many often borrowed from other neighboring nations like Korea, Japan and Taiwan. When I taught in mainland China, for the students it was all about “Jay” (周杰倫) and “A-Mei” (阿妹), two Taiwanese pop stars. In fact, Jay Chou was recently named one of Asia’s 25 most influential individuals at the end of last year. Other home-grown icons include Yao-Ming, Ang Lee, the creators of Baidu.com, the Chinese Olympic team etc. These guys are at the top of the food chain as worldwide entrepreneurs and thus are easy trophies for the Chinese populace to brandish as “winners”.

Quote: “What does that mean for the unilateral vs. multilateral discussion? If nation-states indeed act based on the inclinations of their populaces, then a citizenry like China’s–which at the moment most identifies with being the best within the confines of the rules of an internationalcompetition–would most approve of its own nation acting like a winner within the guidelines of the global architecture.” (Kevin Lee, Forbes.com)

China's Next Top Diplomat

So the question is: Where is China’s Mandela? China’s Thatcher? China’s Clinton? China’s Obama? As the author argues, when it comes to real international crises like the recent standoff between North and South Korea, China is notoriously slow to react or become involved because it has no diplomatic leader to rally around. Participation in international summits, such as the G20 or Copenhagen conference are more aptly seen as two cogs in the China machine, two more gold stars to boast about. But with more national icons on the rise that hold their own status globally, it is possible that we will soon meet China’s next star–this time in foreign policy. As it goes, China must always strive for best in show

Also, I think this picture taken from the Forbes blog is just kind of awesome:

Mao gets a Makeover

我喜歡的中國字 (Chinese Characters I Like)

Tomorrow I have my final exam for Chinese class, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite Chinese characters I have learned throughout the time I’ve been here. Please note, Taiwan uses the traditional Chinese character system; mainland China uses the simplified type, which we all know is the less-than-aesthetic-lazy-cop-out-version of the Chinese writing system

明天我有中文課的期末考，所以我要給你們介紹一下我最喜歡學過的的中國字。請注意，台灣人用繁體字寫中國字；中國人用簡體字；我們都當然都知道繁體字跟簡體字比較秀氣的。

哭 “To cry”

喝 “To drink”

燒 “To cook/burn/stew”

美麗 “To be beautiful”

加油 Literally, “to add gasoline/refuel” but it is probably more commonly used to cheer someone on (such as an athlete), “to make an effort”

濕 “To be damp, moist, humid, wet”

雨傘 “Umbrella”

費 “Fee”

部落格 “Weblog/blog”

膩 “To be tired of/bored with.” It is pronounced just like the way the Knights Who Say “Nee” in Monty Python and the Holy Grail say “nee”!

For the most part, I tend to have an affinity for words that look like what they mean. For others, it is the sound or use of the word that attracts me. 大部分，覺得對中文字很像他的語義有興趣。別的字，我覺得她的聲音或是用法有意思。

I am sad to end classes; learning Chinese in class has always been the best three hours of my days here in Taipei. Today, my class and I spent our earnings from the Language Center’s performance and shared a great meal at a small roadside dumpling shop. 最後的中文課，我覺得很難過； 在台北，我每天最棒的三個鐘頭是中文課。今天，我的中文班跟我一起去了吃飯在一家小小的餃子店，用我們表演賺來的錢。

杭州小籠包

Nayeon steals a dumpling

Soup dumplings filled with pork, crab, and shrimp; Steamed clams; Tofu soup; Beef in egg pancake

已經想你們了！

This little 店 was definitely better than Din Tai Fung! The xiaolongtangbao 小籠湯包 (soup dumplings) were bigger, tastier and cheaper. You can also order to-go. Go go go now! 這家小小籠湯包店比鼎泰豐更好！小籠湯包比較大，比較好吃，比較便宜多了。你也可以外帶。

Hangzhou XiaoLongTangBao/杭州小籠湯包

Hangzhou South Road, Sec. 2, No. 5

Taipei, Taiwan

台北市杭州南路2段53之5號

2393-5875 16:30-24:00

The Cult of Cute

I wanna pinch their cheeks!

Say hello to the face of Taiwan’s fearsome fighters. Aren’t they cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute? 好可愛噢噢噢!!!

Don't you just want to cuddle with them? Those red Chinese mongrels across the strait won't stand a chance!

The navy boy in the middle kind of reminds me of the Pillsbury Dough Boy. I suppose this is Taiwan’s version of the G.I. Joe dolls?

You can find them in the window out front the National Army Recruitment Center next to the Liuzhangli 六張梨 MRT Station.

National Army Recruitment Center

After a little googling, I also came across this…

Just a day's work in Taiwan's navy...

This was a former Taiwanese army recruitment poster from only a couple years ago. Since service is compulsory here, I think the point was to show that army life can be fun and (targeting Taiwanese parents) that the men will be well taken care of. However, to most foreigners (including me) this looks more like a gay pride parade of bare-chested men frolicking on a beach. I really do not mean to sound so cynical, but to all those young men out there: would you really be tempted to join the army based on this advert? Is romping around building human pyramids with your half-naked bunk-mates your idea of military service?

Are these images what Taiwan really wants to be projecting to the rest of the world?

Well, maybe. It all extends to this ideal of ‘cuteness’ that permeates culture in East Asia. The cult of cute, or what in China and Taiwan is known as “ke’ai” (可愛), or in Japan as “kawaii” (可愛い) where it is probably even more acute. Apparent in everything from handwriting to behavior to women’s fashion to anime to television shows to language itself–being “cute” (ie: adorable, innocent, precious, lovable, shy, embarrassed, vulnerable) is nowadays an integral part of national identity.

There have been full research studies conducted on this idea of the power of cuteness.

However, the point of contention I see is when this aspect of culture interacts with Western concepts of “cute”. “Cute” is something reserved for babies–it is something infantile, immature. In the West, a thirty year old man or woman does not want to be thought of as “cute”. Thus, for most Western expats in the Orient, I think this national obsession with cuteness is more irritating than anything else. As one Western friend here once put it: “Why can’t they just grow up?” It is also a large part of the reason why you won’t see too many Western women dating Taiwanese guys. And as hard as I try to practice cultural relativity, the ability to put yourself in someone else’s cultural ‘shoes’ (Hi, Dr. Weaver!), this is one aspect I myself simply cannot understand. I *hate* Hello Kitty. I would never speak in such a high-pitched nasal tone of voice in an attempt to be attractive.  Wearing lacy bows and multi-colored scrunchies in my hair is what I did when I was five years old. Not now. And if I ever tried to sajiao 撒嬌 with my boyfriend (who, mind you, is Taiwanese by heritage), not only would I feel like a spoiled brat, but he would most likely run away as soon as he could.

Flower sculptures in Daan Park. Go give 'em a big prickly hug!

Shop in Danshui. Ahhh! Cute!!!!

Sigh.

Ok, ok…I should qualify my rant at least a little bit… This is a more recent recruitment advertisement from Taiwan from last year:

It’s certainly more macho, but yet…it still misses the point, don’t you think? Since when did Taiwan’s military have Transformer capabilities? If they did, China would have backed down a long time ago.

Gentler Reminders

As seen inside a restroom in a Taipei Starbucks

Oh, Taiwan

A friend of mine* recently posted a link on Facebook to a 5-part series of Youtube videos created by a group of Taiwanese exchange students that are studying in Prague. Each video is very professionally done and highly entertaining to watch, so I thought I would put up a couple of them on the blog. Hope this makes some of you more interested in Taiwan!

A little Taiwanese history and introduction for you:

And for all those wondering what university life is like Taiwan (for Taiwanese students) and life in Taiwan in general:

Be sure to check out all of the “Related Videos”!

*Thanks, Singing

It’s All Nonverbal To Me

The more I study the Chinese language, the more I realize how much I rely upon non-verbal communication. A mere twitch of the eye or body motion can mean all the difference in the message I am trying to receive in face-to-face interaction with the locals here. Pointing is probably the best tactic in most cases. For example, at the bubble tea shops (or yin3liao4dian4 飲料店) I usually just say “wo yao zhei.ge” (我要這個 “I want that one”) and point to the thing I want. Much easier than learning all of the different names for the myriad of drinks each shop offers. This usually works up until the point when they ask exactly how I want my drink made or if I want it in a bag or for here or to go or if I’m just a stupid foreigner and haha you can’t understand what I’m saying to you anyway.

Lately, anyway, I’ve also realized that my usually fool-proof nonverbal body motions don’t always work. Or they seem to mean something completely different than what I thought they meant. Take for instance Chinese number hand signals. I’ve been completely befuddled in various situations by what the seller is telling me is the price of the product and what the number hand signal it is he is giving me at the same time. When I count numbers on my fingers: “1″ is one index finger pointed up; “2″ is an index and a middle finger pointed up; “5″ is a full hand up; “6″ is a full hand plus an index finger on the other hand; and so on and so forth. This works fine in Taiwan up until you get to the number 6. People here hold up one hand with the pinky finger and thumb extended and the three middle fingers curved down, kind of like the Hawaiian “totally awesome dude” sign or a “love” sign or the American Sign Language signal for the letter “Y”.

6

And just to make it even more confusing, the next one can be taken for numbers 7 or 8.

7 or 8

Ka-Pow! The man at the buffet shop made this side at me last week when I tried to buy lunch. His speech was unintelligible (I have local student back-up on this one) and I didn’t understand his hand motion either. So I gave him $70NTD figuring this was average for the buffets in the area and made my way to the lunch table.

Ten is done by taking both index fingers and crossing them, resembling the Chinese character for the number 10: 十

10

I requested a piece of man-tou 饅頭 (steamed bread) yesterday and when I asked how much the women clearly told me “Shi2″ (10) at the same time holding out this hand signal in front of me. Thrown off by this gesture (hey, maybe it meant 2?!) and a little embarrassed, I fumbled through my change purse, dumped some coins in my hand and let her pick. She was honest at least.

Continuing with this theme of communication, there was a related and interesting article about it in today’s New York Times. Apparently, Japan has the hots for Obama. Or at least his voice anyway. A CD compilation of his speeches has sold over 500,000 copies since last November and is mostly promoted as an English language learning tool.

“Mr. Obama sets his range of vocabulary wide enough to accommodate the highly educated and the less educated…and at the lower end, it sometimes comes within the range of non-native speakers’ comprehension.” …

“But there are probably a large number of buyers who do not really possess the basic English skills to understand his speech, said Yuzo Yamamoto, an editor at Asahi Press. Since the sales took off, he has received postcards from readers saying they had been touched by Mr. Obama’s speeches, but “those same people have said they were moved even though they didn’t understand English well,” he said. “Some even said the only phrase they caught was, ‘Yes, we can.’ They said they were in tears nonetheless.”

Mr. Yamamoto said there was a sincerity about Mr. Obama’s speaking style that listeners could perceive phonetically, combined with a delivery that was almost musical.

“That seems to result in sensation, the kind of which you get from listening to good music,” he said.

Other observers say that Japanese buyers probably feel as though they understand his speeches just from the nonverbal cues.“

Ok, so I concede this is not completely non-verbal communication we’re talking about. But clearly it’s the medium (Obama’s sexy voice) and not the message itself that carries the meaning and effects the receivers. I’d be interested to know, but would not be surprised, if the phenomenon is apparent anywhere else in the world–not just Japan.

Overall I think this is just another explanation for why the world seems to be so taken with the president and underscores his pervasive influence.  And while I may not completely agree with Obama’s new status as a Nobel Laureate for Peace, I think this article does give a nod to Obama’s soft-power-savvy and knack for communicating with such diverse audiences.  It will be truly interesting to see what this means for future US foreign policy; for once, our president has the ability to communicate and–more than that–has the ability to inspire others to want to communicate with us.

∴Now all I have to do is learn how to do sexy-talk like Obama and then maybe I can communicate what I want to eat for breakfast!