tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post115042722025565387..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: Taking advantage of the good weatherMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1150538969602711922006-06-17T18:09:00.000+08:002006-06-17T18:09:00.000+08:00great photosgreat photosAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1150470764673995732006-06-16T23:12:00.000+08:002006-06-16T23:12:00.000+08:00I guess i prefer to err on the side of friendlines...<B>I guess i prefer to err on the side of friendliness, even if it is, like harris said, unwarranted.<BR/>incidentally, did you make an attempt to acknowledge them?</B><BR/><BR/>Yes, in one case. No dice. <BR/><BR/><B>The view was fantastic and nearly comparable to the view from the train on the East Coast. Nearly but but not quite. You live in a beautiful area, Michael.</B><BR/><BR/>Only because the weather was so good. Can't see a damn thing when the pollution is there....<BR/><BR/>michaelMichael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1150469742719245492006-06-16T22:55:00.000+08:002006-06-16T22:55:00.000+08:00I tooke the train from Taichung to Fengyauan today...I tooke the train from Taichung to Fengyauan today. The view was fantastic and nearly comparable to the view from the train on the East Coast. Nearly but but not quite. You live in a beautiful area, Michael.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1150456636699854232006-06-16T19:17:00.000+08:002006-06-16T19:17:00.000+08:00About the foreigner thing: we're territorial, you ...About the foreigner thing: we're territorial, you know. Like dogs. (Hmmm... that's not right. Then we'd be sniffing each other's butts... Let me think about this...)Jonathan Bendahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10697405682873882601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1150450491956599522006-06-16T17:34:00.000+08:002006-06-16T17:34:00.000+08:00great pictures michael. as for the foreigner thin...great pictures michael. as for the foreigner thing, it's something i have never quite figured out myself. like harris said, if i am in a good mood i will most often smile. there is always that slightly uncomfortable atmosphere that comes from both people thinking 'oh a foreigner...should i acknowledge him?'. I've been to places in india, for example, where if you stumble upon a white face (a very rare occurance) it is expected and required that you stop for a chat, at the very least.<BR/>I guess i prefer to err on the side of friendliness, even if it is, like harris said, unwarranted.<BR/>incidentally, did <I>you</I> make an attempt to acknowledge them?225712012https://www.blogger.com/profile/02728594588769751910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1150430991509133372006-06-16T12:09:00.001+08:002006-06-16T12:09:00.001+08:00Fongyuan! I'm moving there in 2 weeks! I can't wai...Fongyuan! I'm moving there in 2 weeks! I can't wait. Miaoli City is small-townish (in the way a Candian small town like Belleville is). <BR/>But the pollution is worse. I find the air pollution (from cars and scooters, mostly, and sometimes from burning fields) is far worse than in Fongyuan. Fonyuan, on the same day, will smell better and look cleaner for some reason, even though Fonyuan is at least twice as large.<BR/><BR/>I'm sorry. I've done the same thing as a foreigner, here. Much less, now, since I guess I feel very isolated and don't want to be isolated. Why? I don't know. A lot of factors. One of them being why should I great another foreigner just because he's a foreigner? In Montreal, someone from Lebanon won't greet someone from Morroco, just because they look similar? The expectation that they would do that would be considered ridiculous, maybe even one of the worst forms of racism... I miss that multiculturalism here. So many Taiwanese expect me to greet other foreigners just because they are white.<BR/><BR/>I usually smile. But if I'm not in a good mood, well, it's just like anything, right?<BR/><BR/>Only in very small towns, or in the country, in the U.S. or other Western places, do people consistently say hello to one another, unless they are fellow dog-owners. Also, when I first came here, I wanted to get away from my fellow (red-haired) barbarians. I wanted to disappear, to a certain extent. Is that wrong?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15907060405795620941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1150430959993319202006-06-16T12:09:00.000+08:002006-06-16T12:09:00.000+08:00it was a beautiful day. it's great to see the sun...it was a beautiful day. it's great to see the sun again. the rain was becoming a bit overwhelming.Andrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09262913117330754448noreply@blogger.com