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TheRamblingSoul posted:Are those what the posters/trucks with a guy on a cloudy sky background and a number about? Elections? I thought they were ads for a weather channel. Yup, propaganda trucks. They also have propaganda scooters, usually driven by old or handicapped people. Last week a fleet of them rolled through my neighborhood blaring the same person's ad.
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Nov 14, 2014 04:02
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TheRamblingSoul posted:Are those what the posters/trucks with a guy on a cloudy sky background and a number about? Elections? I thought they were ads for a weather channel.
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Nov 14, 2014 05:55
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I also found out today those numbers are numbering order on the ballot, assigned randomly, and happen to have symbolic meaning (eg 4 is unlucky, 8 is lucky, etc). It's gotta suck being assigned the number four spot and then trying to defend how you're not going to bring along a plague of locusts or flooding if you get elected. [E]: also can you really be sued for cursing at someone (in traffic, etc)? If true, then poo poo that goes a long way to explaining how everyone is so polite and orderly here. Teriyaki Koinku fucked around with this message at 09:05 on Nov 14, 2014 |
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Nov 14, 2014 09:03
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TheRamblingSoul posted:[E]: also can you really be sued for cursing at someone (in traffic, etc)? If true, then poo poo that goes a long way to explaining how everyone is so polite and orderly here. Trust me, there's plenty of yelling on the road and for some accidents.
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Nov 14, 2014 09:16
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TheRamblingSoul posted:I also found out today those numbers are numbering order on the ballot, assigned randomly, and happen to have symbolic meaning (eg 4 is unlucky, 8 is lucky, etc). May be apocryphal, but it does exist at least on the internet. That's not really why people are polite though. It's mostly a cultural thing and the cool part is it's not a facade, they're genuinely quite nice at least compared to Americans and Chinese.
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Nov 14, 2014 09:18
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TheRamblingSoul posted:[E]: also can you really be sued for cursing at someone (in traffic, etc)? If true, then poo poo that goes a long way to explaining how everyone is so polite and orderly here. sub supau fucked around with this message at 09:36 on Nov 14, 2014 |
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Nov 14, 2014 09:22
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Wasn't there just a case a month or so back of some Taiwanese activist being sentenced to jail for something like 20 days because he insulted some politician (possibly online)? I remember it being in the paper and the dude was using his jail sentence to get more publicity for his cause. I think you can basically sue anyone for anything you want, if you want to pay for a lawyer or whatever. Even in America, slander, libel and defamation by themselves have rather broad definitions. The thing is, it seems like it actually goes to court or becomes a real case more often in Taiwan than in the western world, because culturally-speaking, losing face means more here. And the legal standards protecting free speech are a lot less broad than they would be in a place like America, so you see people actually getting a fine (or going to jail) if the case goes far enough. It's probably surprising to a lot of Americans, but then again I know Americans who are also surprised about what you can't say even in the UK where libel and slander are much easier to successfully prosecute. I also highly suspect that cases are actually rather far and few between, but fortunately Taiwan has less real (i.e. murders, crime) news to report on, and it's a smaller place in general. Combine this with a love for gossip and weird stories and when cases do happen, it gets attention. Of course, I'm probably just jinxing myself. I curse at people a lot when I'm on the road. Not because I think it will accomplish anything, mostly because it's just force of habit for this crazy foreigner. It even happened today. I wish I could just chill honestly but holy gently caress man.
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Nov 14, 2014 12:17
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Another question: is it possible to get a prescription for Prozac (Fluoxetine) while in Taiwan? I was on 20 mg up until the Spring and wanted to try tapering off for the first time with doctor/therapist supervision after successful therapy progress, but it seems like the anxiety/depression effects have been creeping back since October and I finally realize I might need to try it again. That being said, I feel really wary of doing anything without seeing a English-speaking doctor/therapist first. Would it be possible to talk to a therapist through ReAnKos or another service to talk about medication? Would I need to be on the National Health Insurance to do this? I would appreciate the help.
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Nov 14, 2014 16:50
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TheRamblingSoul posted:Another question: is it possible to get a prescription for Prozac (Fluoxetine) while in Taiwan? I was on 20 mg up until the Spring and wanted to try tapering off for the first time with doctor/therapist supervision after successful therapy progress, but it seems like the anxiety/depression effects have been creeping back since October and I finally realize I might need to try it again. Just go into a pharmacy with a box or bottle, show them and you can probably buy it. You can also go to Sanzong (三總) Hospital in Gongguan on Dingzhou road or to the National Health Insurance Center by exit 8 of Taipei Main Station and talk to a doctor. Either is cheap and the cost of talking to the doctor + the script will hardly set you back any money at all. 30 to 40 USD probably.
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Nov 14, 2014 19:27
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politicorific posted:
I'd plan on a hostel or Airbnb for a week or so when you first land. There are usually a few apartments or sublets posted within the NTNU MTC itself on the main bulletin board, so you might want to go there first. Other than that there are a few English resources but of course not nearly as many as Chinese. If you can sit down with a friend or get other Chinese help, go to standard rental sites like https://www.591.com.tw but if not then https://www.tealit.com is probably the best English resource, you can also check https://www.taiwanease.com and Taipei craigslist but those are much more sparse. There is a language lab. I forget if there's a student ID check or some sort of logon, I only used it 1-2 times while there.
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Nov 14, 2014 22:58
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One of my new favorite things to do on the weekends when I feel like leaving my apartment is to wander down the street to Taipei 101 and check out the pro- and anti-China protest groups and see if they start fighting.
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Nov 16, 2014 08:42
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Hey all, FNG here. Besides tealit, forumosa and rentaltw are there any other resources for finding an apt in Taipei? I know there's 591 but I don't speak Chinese. Has anyone ever used an agent to find an apt or would that be foolish/expensive? My gf is going to be working near Guting station so we're trying to find someplace on the mrt so she can commute in the mornings.
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Nov 16, 2014 11:10
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You can always try https://www.facebook.com/groups/Taiwanapartmentsandroommates/
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Nov 16, 2014 11:52
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Finally decided to pay the $800 to have 30 days of internet by tethering my computer through my phone. Feels good.
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Nov 16, 2014 12:12
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rolecks posted:Hey all, FNG here. Besides tealit, forumosa and rentaltw are there any other resources for finding an apt in Taipei? I know there's 591 but I don't speak Chinese. Has anyone ever used an agent to find an apt or would that be foolish/expensive? I used an agent to help me find my current place. It wasn't too expensive, they took some percentage of how much one month's rent was as commission, I think the landlord of my place also had to pay some commission as well, it may have been more. However, my agent didn't speak English, so if you've got no way to get a Chinese-speaking person to help you, and you can't find an English speaking agent, welp.
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Nov 16, 2014 14:28
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YF19pilot posted:Finally decided to pay the $800 to have 30 days of internet by tethering my computer through my phone. Feels good. How did you do this? My contract is coming up and my ex of 4 years ago was the one who got me on that plan; not sure I'm going to be here for another year, let alone two for a contract. If there is a month by month service that would be great.
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Nov 16, 2014 14:46
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POCKET CHOMP posted:I used an agent to help me find my current place. It wasn't too expensive, they took some percentage of how much one month's rent was as commission, I think the landlord of my place also had to pay some commission as well, it may have been more. What agent/company did you use? Do they do normal 套房 finding or is it just for more fancy places?
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Nov 16, 2014 15:11
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PaybackJack posted:How did you do this? My contract is coming up and my ex of 4 years ago was the one who got me on that plan; not sure I'm going to be here for another year, let alone two for a contract. If there is a month by month service that would be great. I've got a pre-paid set up with FarEasTone, and they sell internet service by volume (1, 2, 5, etc Gigs) and by day (1, 3, 5, and 30 days). The salespeople usually try to push the by day so it should be easy to get. 30 days is $800. Another teacher at my branch has a similar service with his provider (I think he uses MyPhone). You have to buy the cards to 'refill' your balance, then get the internet, which means you're actually going to put $1000 down to buy the $800 service.
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Nov 16, 2014 15:19
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Barto posted:What agent/company did you use? Do they do normal 套房 finding or is it just for more fancy places? I used Eastern Realty (http://www.etwarm.com.tw/) but actually that was chosen just by literally walking into a random office. I had tried a few other agents before finally finding a good one. My agent was a cool lady but to be honest I don't even remember her name now (it was over 2 years ago), I'm sure I could find her business card somewhere back with the original contract but unless you live out in the boonies of New Taipei City like me, I doubt she'd specifically do you much good! All of the agents I tried were willing to show me a variety of places. A few of them definitely did try to push high-end places on me, but I'm also near a university so a lot of it was also basically simple, small student housing kind of stuff. I ended up getting a normal apartment, in an older building that's off the beaten path, at least by Taiwanese standards, so it's still pretty cheap and definitely not what anyone would consider fancy. Works for me though, been here for a while now.  Coincidentally, some of the agents that did try to get me to check out more expensive places showed me rooms closer to the university/downtown area that were more expensive than the place I'm in now and were about the size of a shoebox. Goddamn, the prices people pay for newness/proximity.
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Nov 16, 2014 16:43
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PaybackJack posted:How did you do this? My contract is coming up and my ex of 4 years ago was the one who got me on that plan; not sure I'm going to be here for another year, let alone two for a contract. If there is a month by month service that would be great. I signed a contract on CHT 4-5 years ago. When it expired, I just kept paying the same rate month to month. I was able to mess around with different amounts of minutes / data packages without signing any new contracts. Currently back in the US, so I've set it to the cheapest plan and turned off data and continue to pay the bill online in order to keep my number. My impression is that you only need to sign a new contract if you want a subsidy on a phone. Otherwise you can just end it / let it lapse any time. This may not be the case on other carriers.
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Nov 16, 2014 17:56
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POCKET CHOMP posted:I used Eastern Realty (http://www.etwarm.com.tw/) but actually that was chosen just by literally walking into a random office. I had tried a few other agents before finally finding a good one. My agent was a cool lady but to be honest I don't even remember her name now (it was over 2 years ago), I'm sure I could find her business card somewhere back with the original contract but unless you live out in the boonies of New Taipei City like me, I doubt she'd specifically do you much good! Thanks for the writeup! I'm really lazy about house searching. hehe
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Nov 16, 2014 19:53
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Barto posted:Thanks for the writeup! Much like your posting 
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Nov 17, 2014 02:28
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caberham posted:Much like your posting 
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Nov 17, 2014 07:09
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So from this link it looks like I'm ok to stay for 90 days on a US passport. Regarding the confirmed flight ticket out of the country requirement, can it be a round-trip ticket back into Taiwan after a few days? Or should I only buy a one-way ticket out of Taiwan and buy a separate ticket to go back. Hopefully I'll have my working visa within 3-months anyway and I can refund it all, but I want to make sure I can get into the country first!
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Nov 17, 2014 09:04
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Round trip should be fine, that's what other people usually do.
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Nov 17, 2014 09:27
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rolecks posted:So from this link it looks like I'm ok to stay for 90 days on a US passport. You don't actually need a "ticket", you can just print off the flight confirmation page and that will be enough. Maybe they're more strict about it now, but I doubt it.
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Nov 17, 2014 09:28
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I flew into Taiwan four times in the past year (no visa 90-day entry) and never had a departure ticket. Didn't have any problems.
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Nov 17, 2014 14:58
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Usually I just say I have an outward ticked with another airline, they can't check it on their system, then it's ok. The most I've had to do is sign a waiver that I have to pay the costs if I get rejected by immigration in Taiwan. It's an airline rule because the airlines are required to pay for you to leave Taiwan if they let you go without checking for an outward ticket.
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Nov 18, 2014 03:36
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When I came I had to show my booking confirmation for the ticket out, but I did it at Frankurt. I don't think Taiwanese immigration even asked.
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Nov 18, 2014 05:48
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House Louse posted:When I came I had to show my booking confirmation for the ticket out, but I did it at Frankurt. I don't think Taiwanese immigration even asked. Exactly the same. Taiwan didn't ask, but I was under the impression if I DIDN'T have it, a light would have lit up somewhere and then they would have very much asked.
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Nov 19, 2014 13:30
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Well we made it in. At immi the guy didn't even ask or look for the outward bound ticket confirmation. I had checked 'visa-exempt' on the form and he looked at it for less than 5 seconds, stamped it for 3-months and I was on my way. Anyway, my gf just got the job near Guting station (wooo!) and now starts the search for an apt. I asked a few people last night and they all lived outside of the city proper and were paying A LOT less than the places I've seen advertised for nearby. Does anyone have any names of neighborhoods/sections I should be looking in for a 1-br apt? We don't mind commuting in, but we would like something along the MRT so it won't take her more than like 45 mins to get to work. I'm hoping we can find something for ~20,000/mo.
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Nov 20, 2014 15:05
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Definitely Yonghe. I live in Yonghe and I loving hate it, but that's only because my apartment sucks. The location is great, you'll be 10 minutes from the city, 15 from Guting, and it's considerably cheaper than across the river.
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Nov 20, 2014 15:20
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Xindian is pretty nice. Once you get south away from Gongguan prices should go down.
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Nov 20, 2014 15:53
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For 20,000 a month you could honestly just live in Gongguan in a pretty nice place.
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Nov 20, 2014 16:36
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quadrophrenic posted:Definitely Yonghe. I live in Yonghe and I loving hate it, but that's only because my apartment sucks. The location is great, you'll be 10 minutes from the city, 15 from Guting, and it's considerably cheaper than across the river. Yonghe and Zhonghe are the butthole burbs of Taipei. Do not live in these places. $20,000 will get you something decent in every district but what, Xinyi and Daan? Taipei people would know better. But I do know that Yonghe and Zhonghe are ugly places.
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Nov 20, 2014 17:09
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Pandemonium posted:Yonghe and Zhonghe are the butthole burbs of Taipei. Do not live in these places. $20,000 will get you something decent in every district but what, Xinyi and Daan? Taipei people would know better. But I do know that Yonghe and Zhonghe are ugly places. This is very true for Zhonghe, less true for Yonghe, though I guess it depends where exactly you live there. 20k/month is a lot.
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Nov 20, 2014 17:12
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Pandemonium posted:Yonghe and Zhonghe are the butthole burbs of Taipei. Do not live in these places. $20,000 will get you something decent in every district but what, Xinyi and Daan? Taipei people would know better. But I do know that Yonghe and Zhonghe are ugly places. I live in Daan right on Xinyi Road and only pay 14k/month, so even there you can find a decent-priced place.
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Nov 20, 2014 17:15
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rolecks posted:Well we made it in. At immi the guy didn't even ask or look for the outward bound ticket confirmation. I had checked 'visa-exempt' on the form and he looked at it for less than 5 seconds, stamped it for 3-months and I was on my way. My roommate and I play slightly more than 20 grand a month for a two bedroom apartment that's pretty centrally located. Have you checked out http://www.tealit.com/ Because you totally should. If you can get a Taiwanese speaker to help you out you go check http://www.104.com.tw/ or you can get an agent to find you a place. They charge a fee but you can literally tell them exactly what you want and they'll bring you something more or less perfect within a week or so.
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Nov 20, 2014 17:29
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591.com.tw, 104's the job site. Also yeah, Yong/Zhonghe are loving buttholes, although I did like the park down by Yongan Market. Go for Xindian, it's as cheap and less butt. Or you could go like Tucheng or something, but that's a long-rear end commute you will grow to despise.
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Nov 20, 2014 18:04
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My entire point is that living in a conveniently-located shithole may or may not be worth an extra 5k a month.  And Zhonghe sure is skeezy, but Yonghe is just a suburb. Full of old people and children. Entirely unoffensive. The places along the MRT are usually pretty nice regardless of district anyway, like sanchong excluded obv I know this because I live here.
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Nov 20, 2014 20:07
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