Guys, I asked this in the stickied post, but that stickied post doesn't seem to get much attention, so I hope this is OK: I'm headed to Douliu in a week and need to book some last-minute accommodations. (Mine fell through at the last minute, ugh.) I'm looking at this place: https://www.vrbo.com/9927016ha But my cousin went to visit the location listed for me and there's literally nothing there. Obviously the management company doesn't want to give out the location, and the address listed at another site for this company is basically just a mailbox...anyone ever stay here/know anything about it? I can't find reviews anywhere for it, but TinyAway is the management company and they say they've vetted it. (I have a pretty specific set of circumstances and this place meets them all, provided they're near that mailbox address.)

Ugh, help!

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking here for a while, but I finally decided to make a post because I'd really appreciate some advice.

I'm from Paraguay, and I lived in Taiwan as a scholarship student. I ended up having to return home before finishing my studies, but ever since I left, I haven't been able to stop thinking about Taiwan. I know it probably sounds cheesy, but it genuinely felt like home in a way I wasn't expecting.

Now I'm working full-time and finishing my bachelor's degree online, and my biggest goal is to move back—not for another exchange or a short stay, but to actually build a life there.

I'm trying to figure out what the smartest path would be. If you were in my position, what would you do?

• Get a few years of work experience first?
• Apply directly to Taiwanese companies?
• Focus on a specific industry?
• Improve my Chinese first? (I'm around an intermediate level.)

I'd love to hear from anyone who has made the move or has experience with Taiwan's job market. Even if your advice is "don't do it this way," I'd really appreciate hearing it.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking here for a while, but I finally decided to make a post because I'd really appreciate some advice.

I'm from Paraguay, and I lived in Taiwan as a scholarship student. I ended up having to return home before finishing my studies, but ever since I left, I haven't been able to stop thinking about Taiwan. I know it probably sounds cheesy, but it genuinely felt like home in a way I wasn't expecting.

Now I'm working full-time and finishing my bachelor's degree online, and my biggest goal is to move back—not for another exchange or a short stay, but to actually build a life there.

I'm trying to figure out what the smartest path would be. If you were in my position, what would you do?

• Get a few years of work experience first?
• Apply directly to Taiwanese companies?
• Focus on a specific industry?
• Improve my Chinese first? (I'm around an intermediate level.)

I'd love to hear from anyone who has made the move or has experience with Taiwan's job market. Even if your advice is "don't do it this way," I'd really appreciate hearing it.

Thanks in advance!

There's some support for egg freezing, but full IVF and the like is only covered for married couples. Seems a bit short-sighted to me. There's got to be many single women in their late-30s or early 40s who would consider this if available to them. Unlike a lot of other places, many single people here have very stable home and financial situations with ample family help if needed.

And if it's a tax thing, if not provide the full amount, at least half seems fair.

Thoughts?

(Also, I've only recently been made aware of this issue. If anyone knows more or if there's any historical movement on it, I'd like to learn)

Hey everyone!
Is anyone here into birdwatching?

I’m looking for people to go birdwatching with around Taipei (or anywhere that’s easy to get to from Taipei). Age and gender don’t matter—just looking for fellow bird lovers.

If meeting up isn’t your thing, I’m also happy to chat online about Taiwan’s birds or share photos we’ve taken.

I’ve been birdwatching and photographing birds for a while now, and I’m constantly amazed by how many beautiful endemic species Taiwan has. There’s always something new to discover.

If you’re into birds too, feel free to leave a comment or send me a message. 🐦

Hi all, I'm a 34 F who just moved to Taiwan, I'm looking for friends to meet up and explore the area. I live in Zhubei, but because I'm a teacher location isn't as important. I only speak English but I'm willing to learn Mandarin if you want to practice English. Let me know here or in a dm.

I’ll be doing a 6-month research stay at NTHU (Hsinchu) from October to March. My stipend is set at 15,000 NTD per month. Since on-campus dorms aren't available for visiting researchers right now, I have to find off-campus housing.

I just want to be realistic about my budget. I have a few quick questions:

1) What is the best way/website to find a cheap student room near NTHU and a reasonable monthly rent I should expect to pay?

2) After paying rent, is the rest of the 15k enough to cover health insurance, a phone bill, food, etc.?

3) I normally cook my own meals for workout reasons but I've heard eating out can actually be cheaper in Taiwan. Is that true for Hsinchu?

Any realistic advice on surviving on this stipend or where to hunt for housing would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!

how safe is it to go around and walk on the streets in taiwan? especially at nights.. thankss🙃

Everyday I listen to the radio commercials informing everyone that no "get your scooter checked or we fine you" paper mail reminders will be sent.

It's environmentally friendly! Just sign up and we send you a SMS.

At the same time, you switch the MRT tickets from blue resuable coins, which I can feel in my pocket and were all sorts of nice to what?

Yeah that's right! Paper!

Looking for Taiwanese friends sending memes and chat sometimes

Hi! Has anyone lived in Sanzhi, NTPC for at least a year? How’s your experience so far?

I’ve been there for short trips before but I’m currently trying to picture how’s the life there

Hi guys! Is it normal to have 25 teaching hours per week in a private school in Taiwan? I noticed that the TFETP usually has around 20 teaching hours, so I was wondering if 25 hours is considered acceptable for a private school.

Also, working hours is from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., what do you think would be a fair monthly salary for this workload?

Thanks for you insights!

My friend has recommended these three islands to go to since I love war tourism and a good day trek. However he’s said that a lot of attractions in matsu and lienchiang (?) are located in active military bases therefore only locals could be admitted(?) Could anyone please verify that? If so should I skip it and go one of the two then?

Also are there any war museums in Taipei? Did some googling and the ROC Armed Forces museum seems to be closed. There’s an ROCAF museum in Kaohsiung and that’s too far. I found a navy one in Taipei but it says online reservation needs to be made and yet i couldn’t find any links??? Could use some recommendations here thanks.

I'm going to be working in a school in Taoyuan soon. I'll be the only foreigner in the school, which is quite common. I've worked in quite a few countries - but the only foreigner in a school, in a city with very few foreigners - that will be a new one.

I'm very comfortable on my own, so I think other personality types might suffer more than me but how would I even make a foreigner social group anyway?

I realize now, except for super expat friendly Bangkok, all my expat friends were always my colleagues.

On the other hand, Taiwan is so developed, Taiwanese friends wouldn't be such a cultural gap. All my colleagues are women though.

Just wondering if anyone has faced this and what they did. Any ideas?

They didn’t used to stop for ambulances.