你們好， 我叫文友 ，我不會說中文。
(Hello all, my name is Perry and I don’t speak Chinese.)
From leaving my home for the last two years to visiting family and friends in America, these past few months have been a whirlwind to say the least. Now it’s on to a new adventure.
As you may have guessed, I’ve moved to the exciting city of 台北，臺灣 (Taipei, Taiwan)! I am beyond happy to start my new journey with a new language and a new city. It’s vibrant and reminds me of a much more relaxed version of New York. Great metro, hard workers, good hidden spots and dense nature areas to center yourself.
What I’ve learned so far about the city is that even though it’s technically part of the Republic of China, Taiwan has its own unique culture that’s much different. Taiwanese is still a big language here, even though formally the language is traditional Mandarin. One of the motivating factors of moving here was to study Chinese and I thought where better to go then Taipei.
While the move is still fresh, I have discovered a few things about the city and here are my top 3 to make anyone feel like a local.
1. Ride the Bus
It sounds easy but surprisingly few foreigners take the bus and solely rely on the MRT to get everywhere. How can you learn the roads when you just are in a dark tunnel?
2. Stand in Line
The amount of queuing that happens in Taipei is ridiculous. People wait in line to go up an escalator! Way too organized.
3. Chat With Neighbors on Trash Night
In Taipei, there aren’t any trash bins. Everyone just collects it at home and heads to the street when the garbage truck comes. Until then, chat away.
I’ll put up a list of my recommendations to do in Taipei shortly. Until then, stay well.
Perry
Perry Truong - Adventurer 