tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post7539349583445060187..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: The NT$325 VacationMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-80562653970821740842010-08-09T17:06:58.658+08:002010-08-09T17:06:58.658+08:00Wow! All photos are unbelievable. The views are re...Wow! All photos are unbelievable. The views are really breathe taking sites. I wish I was there so that I can enjoy that amazing place.kitchen tableshttp://www.erikorganic.com/dining-room/kitchen-tables.shtmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-43214747999650712302007-11-16T20:33:00.000+08:002007-11-16T20:33:00.000+08:00A couple weeks ago a Taiwanese acquaintance asked ...A couple weeks ago a Taiwanese acquaintance asked me whether calling someone an, "Individualist," was an insult.<BR/><BR/>I kinda looked at him, and thought, "OK, you're shittin' me, right?"<BR/><BR/>After it dawned on me that he was serious, I had to explain that we view the word as a compliment - as someone who thinks for themselves instead of following the herd.<BR/><BR/>(Of course, Westerners ARE aware of people whose ideas or behavior is so different that they pose an actual DANGER to others, but we usually call such people "rogues" or "loose cannons".)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-23686023661670680042007-10-15T18:23:00.000+08:002007-10-15T18:23:00.000+08:00"Here a group of students from Chinyi University i..."Here a group of students from Chinyi University in Taiping listen to what they are supposed to be doing in order to have fun."<BR/><BR/>while reading this excellent post, i kept thinking how utterly dumb some of those planned activities were, like making up a chant. if the students just refused to do those things then they could just do other things that they wanted to do on their own. and then i realized that no one would refuse. it's amazing how individualism is branded as rebellion in this society. i do run into it even at my age and in my circles. exercising your right to choice often rubs people the wrong way here.MJ Kleinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16859263977094071677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-32363237602849406932007-10-15T00:06:00.000+08:002007-10-15T00:06:00.000+08:00Regarding the customs, systems, practices and trad...Regarding the customs, systems, practices and traditions in the Taiwan school system (incl. universities), I wonder how much is a hold-over from the period of Japanese control. <BR/><BR/>Or was it completely re-made in the early 50s by administrators from China?Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06288925111705635453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-87546581501774997342007-10-14T23:15:00.000+08:002007-10-14T23:15:00.000+08:00hahahahahahahaYour description resonates perfectly...hahahahahahaha<BR/><BR/>Your description resonates perfectly with my experiences.<BR/><BR/>Thanks very much indeed. A fantastically useful insight..https://www.blogger.com/profile/00149149710618430861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-66240112731723838182007-10-14T22:58:00.000+08:002007-10-14T22:58:00.000+08:00This post reminds me of when two good friends, bot...This post reminds me of when two good friends, both teaching English at the time at the same school in the South, came up to Taipei for some sort of teacher/staff cram school trip. On their free evening, a Saturday (and they had nothing scheduled the next day, except to head back down at about 11 in some rented van), I met up with them and we partied all night and then just crashed at my apartment. Well, the manager at their cram school freaking flipped out over this. We were all adults in our late 20s.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-39022687872571341752007-10-14T22:05:00.000+08:002007-10-14T22:05:00.000+08:00I think also that the students' maturity is not re...<B>I think also that the students' maturity is not really the issue (not that you're saying it is): it's just that most students have never experienced a trip or holiday that wasn't organized down to the last detail, and didn't involve that clapping thing that they do. You know the one -<BR/>clap clap, clap-clap-clap,<BR/>clap-clap-clap-clap,<BR/>clap clap !!</B><BR/><BR/>Man, I should frame that. <BR/><BR/><B>Mindless, shallow games? Please clarify. If it's something only 12 year olds do; perhaps they didn't get to do it when they were 12 years old. On the other hand, I don't want to mention the kind of things fraternities and sororities in USA do.</B><BR/><BR/>How about The Wind Blows? Do they play that in frat houses? Sure they do mindless shit. But I've never been to a fraternity where everyone was in it whether or not they wanted to be. <BR/><BR/><B>I always blamed the destruction of the first bridge on the hundreds of buses that went over it daily ferrying students to and from Washington High School.</B><BR/><BR/>That's what did it? I wondered. They've been building that bridge for what, like three years now? I almost got killed there twice that day.<BR/><BR/>MichaelMichael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-68003762490859942972007-10-14T20:16:00.000+08:002007-10-14T20:16:00.000+08:00With regards to the Taiping City road sign, I have...With regards to the Taiping City road sign, I have found in many places in Taiwan road signs indicate the administrative boundary rather than the town centre. It can be very confusing when distances are marked this way. <BR/><BR/>Interesting observations about group behaviour.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-28425084822732440122007-10-14T19:49:00.000+08:002007-10-14T19:49:00.000+08:00sometimes i have experienced the group 'agony' fee...sometimes i have experienced the group 'agony' feeling when going out as a family with my husband, who is originally from Taiwan. over the years i have sensitized him to the fact that we are not automatically going to do what he wants to do. like going to the mall. my daughters are 10 and 11. my system is everyone picks a store they want to go to and the others have to be patient waiting for their turn (i even time the turns). before when my husband was with us he would insist that we all go where he wanted to go, and that we should all be happy doing so. in fact he didn't get it when we protested. over the years he has been worn down. ps i've lately come to the conclusion that the ccp's hold on china is weak- and in some cases just a show. i don't see them as being around long. could you post on how you think the transition to a post ccp-china would go, if you share my view? thxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-72909689115442484592007-10-14T17:28:00.000+08:002007-10-14T17:28:00.000+08:00That collapsed bridge at the start of your post ha...That collapsed bridge at the start of your post has been the bane of my commute for years. I always blamed the destruction of the first bridge on the hundreds of buses that went over it daily ferrying students to and from Washington High School. Anyway, another great post.Big Ellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-78932187804175808702007-10-14T16:05:00.000+08:002007-10-14T16:05:00.000+08:00Excellent post, as always. I particularly enjoyed ...Excellent post, as always. <BR/><BR/>I particularly enjoyed the cultural commentary. As a decidedly individualist American living in Taiwan, I am often struck by how collectivist my fellow residents of Taiwan are. <BR/><BR/>I wonder how much of the Class group mentality carries over into the workplace. At the MNCs where I teach training courses, the folks who work in sales tend to socialize together outside of work. For companies that are more focused on manufacturing, I don't see much of that group orientation. Folks may be very tuanjie at work, but when the quitting time whistle goes off, they scatter. I wonder how that compares to locally-owned companies?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, thanks again for another visually beautiful and intellectually insightful post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-13548949715687667722007-10-14T14:10:00.000+08:002007-10-14T14:10:00.000+08:00Mindless, shallow games? Please clarify. If it's s...Mindless, shallow games? Please clarify. If it's something only 12 year olds do; perhaps they didn't get to do it when they were 12 years old. On the other hand, I don't want to mention the kind of things fraternities and sororities in USA do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-88828542758764246102007-10-14T13:34:00.000+08:002007-10-14T13:34:00.000+08:00Being at university in Taiwan is really like being...Being at university in Taiwan is really like being at a big high school, so accordingly, class trips are pretty much like school trips. And in a sense, they are a preparation for the company trips they will be forced to endure when they join the workforce. I have many joyless memories of company trips in Taiwan back in the day when I hadn't learned to recalibrate my concept of what is considered "a good time". I think also that the students' maturity is not really the issue (not that you're saying it is): it's just that most students have never experienced a trip or holiday that wasn't organized down to the last detail, and didn't involve that clapping thing that they do. You know the one - <BR/>clap clap, clap-clap-clap,<BR/>clap-clap-clap-clap,<BR/>clap clap !!<BR/>[Yeh! V-sign]John Naruwanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13641680794403601212noreply@blogger.com