1. For hurried businessmen, red lights are more like suggestions.
2. Pretty much no one will be able to tell you what you are eating. Just move past your need to know, and open wide!
3. If you have never seen a cockroach before, prepare yourself now. For they will become your roommates sooner than you know.
4. A gecko that peruses the school? Totally normal. He's probably living off the smaller cockroaches, so be grateful he's there.
5. Stinky Tofu. They claim the "it tastes like what it smells like" rule does not apply. Good luck convincing yourself of that after you finally do smell the nastyness though!
6. Everything is a gamble or a lottery. Even buying banana milk at 7/11.
7. It's cool to play table tennis at 6 AM at the church.
8. That truck driving around playing cheery music? He's not selling ice cream... He's collecting garbage.
9. If a kid throws up on you at work, you get chocolate cake!
10. Trains make no sense. Just point and say the name of your destination. Eventually someone will tell you whether or not you should board that train.
11. An 18 km bike ride may not sound like a lot, but never forget: your bike is crap, there are mountains, and humidity is stronger than you think!
12. Wash your sheets every 7 days. If you wait that extra 8th day, ants will crawl into your bed and devour your arms and legs in your sleep.
13. "Supplies" sounds an awful lot like "surprise"...
14. They say they're going to turn off the water, so you prepare and prepare and then freak out that you forgot to do laundry... but no worries, they don't really turn it off. I think it's a running practical joke they have or something.
15. Laundry will take anywhere from 24-72 hours to dry (sans dryer, of course).
16. Taking the day off for New Years Eve will result in the entire country having a "make up day" on a Saturday.
17. Stores will close when they feel like it. Don't expect that sandwich shop to be open just because it's lunch time.
18. Restaurants will also never stock enough of their popular items. Arrive early, or never get what you actually want.
7. It's cool to play table tennis at 6 AM at the church.
8. That truck driving around playing cheery music? He's not selling ice cream... He's collecting garbage.
9. If a kid throws up on you at work, you get chocolate cake!
10. Trains make no sense. Just point and say the name of your destination. Eventually someone will tell you whether or not you should board that train.
11. An 18 km bike ride may not sound like a lot, but never forget: your bike is crap, there are mountains, and humidity is stronger than you think!
12. Wash your sheets every 7 days. If you wait that extra 8th day, ants will crawl into your bed and devour your arms and legs in your sleep.
13. "Supplies" sounds an awful lot like "surprise"...
14. They say they're going to turn off the water, so you prepare and prepare and then freak out that you forgot to do laundry... but no worries, they don't really turn it off. I think it's a running practical joke they have or something.
15. Laundry will take anywhere from 24-72 hours to dry (sans dryer, of course).
16. Taking the day off for New Years Eve will result in the entire country having a "make up day" on a Saturday.
17. Stores will close when they feel like it. Don't expect that sandwich shop to be open just because it's lunch time.
18. Restaurants will also never stock enough of their popular items. Arrive early, or never get what you actually want.
Naturally I was attracted to this post, as it was Taiwanese related. I'd have to start with 臭豆腐 Stinky tofu, it is probably the worst thing I have ever eaten! and the smell.... oh the smell.. :(
ReplyDeleteAnd it's great to gain the cultural differences from Mainland China and Taiwan; like the music truck, there it's a garbage truck-here it's a truck that sprays water on the streets (and you if you're unlucky enough to be in the way). The crap-bike bike rides, chronically wet laundry, surprise make-up days, and the unfortunate operating hours of shops and restaurants.. Oh the pains of Aisa..
Loved this post :)
Noah! I am so glad you can relate to some of the things we're saying here! I'm glad Taiwan didn't have a truck spraying nasty water on us all the time as we rode our bikes everywhere. Is mainland covered in scooters just like Taiwan?
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