A foreigner's perspective of Taiwan

I've been asked (repeatedly - and forgotten several times - and now am under strict moral obligation to finish) an article about my impressions of Taiwan. It is due at the end of the week, and although I'm very sleepy, I'm going to go ahead and write it.

There are many reasons people come to Taiwan; but I'm willing to bet that most people's are as random and unplanned as my own. Unless you have family in Taiwan or some previous connection here, foreigners thinking of going to Asia will probably go to Japan or Korea (if they want to teach English) or China (if they want to learn Chinese). Taiwan is, for most Westerners, a place that sounds a lot like 'Thailand' and makes a lot of cheap plastic toys.

After living in Italy, I was suffering from the claustrophobia of a stint at my parents' house and dating a girl that had studied Chinese. Although I'd planned on heading to Japan, I got a return email from someone in Taiwan who said they could offer me a job right away; and thinking that I could (romantically) 'pave the way' for a co-escape from America, I bought a ticket and left.

That was six years ago. I remember my first meal (and many more to follow) from 7-11; the loneliness of being a foreigner during Chinese New Year while everybody else is with their family; the strong and exotic flavors of the local food; and trying to remove the plastic top from my first cup of tea instead of poking it with the straw.

My 'job' turned out to be an agent, who passed me onto another agent, who took me to Chiayi and from their to even smaller towns. Although I had no intention of working or living so far from Tainan, which I'd specifically chosen for its size and culture, I did a handful of 'teaching demos' for schools; I remember feeling the absolute panic and embarrassment of standing in front of a group of children with a book and having no idea what to say or do. Like many foreigners who come to Taiwan, I'd never taught English before.

Eventually I found a job and stuck with it for a year. After that I found another. Although teaching English lures many people to Taiwan, they soon learn that Taiwan has its own gifts to offer. Being a foreigner is a lot like being a movie star in Taiwan. People stop and stare. Kids point. Girls giggle. If given the opportunity to talk with you, people will feel happy and confident that they've made a foreign friend. If you're lost, someone will probably volunteer to be your personal tour guide, get you to where you need to go and then invite you home for tea. If you go to a restaurant, you'll probably receive free samples of all their famous dishes.

At least twice I've run out of gas and had the mechanic give me his own scooter so I can go and get more from the station.

Why am I still here? I've gotten so comfortable with my life in Taiwan I'm not prepared to go anywhere else. I can work very little and afford good food and a nice place to live; I can go shopping and buy anything I need at any time of day (or night); the Taiwanese are insufferably kind, helpful, smart and friendly; and there is always plenty to do.

I'm usually so into my routine that I forget its a 'foreign' culture; luckily there are reminders - like the old man who sells cotton candy from a rusty old cart at 3am; the flashing disco ball set outside cell phone shops to attract new customers; the days when traffic all over the city shuts down to make way for a throng of worshipers carrying their gods from one temple to the next; the sudden, house-shaking firecrackers that go off some mornings at 5am.

There's a tantalizing mixture of tradition and modernity in Taiwan that just doesn't get old...

Ok, lame ending I know. How'd I do so far?