After a highly inspiring talk with an American about this very blog, I feel it's time for yet another entry. Since I haven't really talked much about my environment here in Taipei, I'd like to catch up on that a bit.
The first topic of interest is traffic: like in every big city, it is naturally a pretty horrible matter. What's more, however, is the carelessness with which some people drive their vehicle. Especially scooter drivers can't be bothered to risk a glance or two to the side. Their reactions are excellent, but often this doesn't help to prevent accidents. Paradoxically, the rule for success in the Taipei traffic seems to be "don't fear, don't hesitate, just drive". This trial-and-error principle, of course, calls for courage, strong nerves and excellent control over your vehicle. Although me and my bike have learned pretty well how to cope with the traffic, I still take a double-prudent look on the street while driving. Even if you decide to go on the rightmost lane, you'll find yourself avoiding obstacles in form of vehicles which are just parked on the street without consideration. All in all, it seems that the general shyness and reservation of Taiwanese people quickly fades when they step on a vehicle.
The exact opposite, however, is the public transport. The Taipei Metro System, generally known as MRT, provides excellent service - it may be the cleanest and most organized metro I have ever seen. Only the subway systems of Seoul, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. can keep up to that standard. Moreover, it is ridiculously cheap: your journey to wherever won't cost you more than 1,60 Euros. The bus system, although not that easy to figure out, provides even cheaper service at about 0,30 Euros per ride.
A little detail on the traffic lights here in Taiwan: they are conveniently equipped with a countdown which tells you the time you have to wait before you can go nuts again or, conversely, the time still left before you have to stop going nuts. The pedestrian version of the traffic lights has a little figure which is walking casually during the green phase. When the countdown reaches 10 seconds, however, the little figure suddenly gets stressed out and starts to run. It is amusing every time.
Also, there is the garbage disposal truck. Although not very obvious itself, a catchy melody draws attention to it pretty quickly when driving around in the streets. During the day, this melody has the feel of an ice-cream truck to it; in the evening, however, the truck goes classy with Beethoven's "Für Elise" coming out of its speakers. Not the whole original version, of course, but a high-pitched children's tune consisting of only the opening theme of the piano bagatelle. Needless to say, being a garbage disposal truck driver must be one of the best-paid jobs in Taiwan. Insanity included.
The Taiwanese people are not only crazy in traffic, they are also crazy about shopping. Stores and boutiques are open until 10pm, and there is so much variety of clothes you often don't know where to start shopping. The recent opening of Zara in the most prestigious shopping street of Taipei attracted massive crowds. Although the Japanese brand Uniqlo is really big in Taiwan, it seems that Western brands like Zara or Mango get the most attention. The opening of the first H&M in Taiwan hasn't been announced yet, but I'm sure it will create a huge fuzz. Taiwanese people only know about H&M if they've been to South Korea, Japan or Hong Kong.
In a consumption city like Taipei, you expect to find some trash cans to get rid of your waste. Strangely, there are none, or only very few. The reason is not the fear of bombs like in London's financial district; it's just that the people used to put all their household garbage in public trash cans in order to avoid garbage disposal fees. Not really amused by that was apparently the Taipei City Government, so they removed practically all of the trash cans on the streets.
Furthermore, I experienced that Asian people can be dead serious about things about which Europeans can only shake their head in sheer bewilderment. The recent launch of three "Hello Kitty" aircraft by the Taiwanese airline EVA had nothing ridiculous to it. Neither have the two mascots "Open" and "Lock" of 7-Eleven - since this convenience store chain never closes down, the adorable "Open" wins the fight against the evil "Lock" every time. The story is backed by countless merchandise goods of these two characters and massive statues outside the stores. The same seriousness applies to certain rules: although it should be self-evident that sexual harassment and sneaky photography are not a wise thing to do on the Taipei Metro, certain hilarious posters warn you about this matter. Also, it's not allowed to "wash your shoes in the washing machine" and to "burn paper money in the area of the memorial". How boring.
A word on the locals themselves: they are incredibly friendly and helpful, but unfortunately also really shy and distant. It is often difficult to have a normal conversation or to start a friendship with them. Having been to South America this summer, I can draw a direct comparison between the mentalities of the people. Sometimes I wish that Asian people would be a bit more like people in South America. I miss the lust for life and the general happiness which is openly shown. The behaviour of the people here, although expected, sometimes gets on my nerves. I have no doubt that Asia will one day economically overrun Europe and the United States, but they still have to catch up socially.
Along with every new environment I am living in, I pose myself the question "could I live here for a longer time"? For Taiwan, the answer is "I don't think so". Don't get me wrong: this conclusion shouldn't at all be seen as a limiter to the good time I'm having here, nor do I want to express that I should have gone somewhere else. I really don't want to leave Asia at the moment, but in the long run, I'm not sure if I could handle the Asian mentality. Somehow I feel that my heart belongs to Europe. Of all the three continents I've lived in so far, the European lifestyle appeals to me the most. I believe it's only partly because I grew up in Europe. I highly respect and admire people who have found a new home far from where their origins are. It is actually my secret wish to go and live somewhere else for a long time (not only for a year). However, I haven't found a place except Europe where I instantly knew that I could stay there for good without second thoughts. This bugs me a lot and I'm often blaming it on my non-existent internationality and courage. I know I shouldn't put pressure on myself only because I really want to do or have something. When it's the right time, things automatically fall into place.
All the best,
Martin
-Asia
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