United States - eazychinese.com

12 August 2013

5 Reasons for you to spend a year (or more) abroad in Taiwan.

1. Mandarin is THE language to learn, and with over a billion people in the world who speak it, learning even just basic Mandarin will open up a lot of doors for you, especially with Mainland China's economic growth in recent years.

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2. Taiwan is a safe place to live with a rich cultural heritage. On top of that, the locals are very friendly, and welcoming of Westerners. The people will take care of you and help you out however they can. Whether you are having trouble ordering food at a restaurant, or finding your way around, the majority or Taiwanese are very approachable and willing to help you out. Many Taiwanese are also very interested in learning English and about Western culture, so don't be surprised if random people approach and befriend you. This makes Taiwan an ideal place to pick-up a second language and to learn about a fascinating culture that has been around for thousands of years.

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3. Convenience is paramount in Taiwan, and public transportation is excellent. Taxis are cheap, buses run late and to practically any destination you could possibly have in mind, and the MRT system makes getting around Taipei(and now Kaohsiung) very easy. And there are plans to further expand the MRT system, which will eventually run all the way from Taoyuan international airport to Taipei city. Usually in North America, when we say a place is nearby, we mean 5-10 minutes by car. In Taiwan, distances are usually measured by foot(except in the county, where having a set of wheels becomes more necessary). When I get hungry, I just walk downstairs and have a ton of options in the neighborhood, not to mention 7-11 around the corner and the night market just a little further down the road. More on night markets in a future post.

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4. Taiwan is a great place for nature lovers. Whether you feel at home surfing or just chilling at the beach, or if a hike through majestic mountains is more your thing, rest assured, there're plenty of amazing places for you to explore. I'll expand on this topic in a future post, but I'll leave you with a few pics of some of my favorite destinations: Penghu and Hualien.

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5. It's a fruit lover's paradise. Taiwan has a ton of unique fruits which are either uncommon or unheard of in the USA. A few of my favorites are bājiāo(八蕉), a type of short, sweet banana, huǒlóngguǒ(火龍果) or dragon fruit, and shìzi(柿子) or persimmons, but this topic really deserves a future post of its own. Easy access to a variety of fruits and fresh juice stands makes it easy to get a healthy snack on the run!

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Chinese phrases of the day:

bājiāo(八蕉)= a type of short, sweet banana

huǒlóngguǒ(火龍果)=dragon fruit

shìzi(柿子)= persimmons

5 August 2013

Are you feelin\’ lucky Punk?

These days everybody has a get rich scheme in the works, and why should it be any different in Taiwan? Well no need to worry, today I'm not going to be tipping you off on any shady mahjong dens or local pyramid schemes. So what is this post about, and why should you read it? Well, if you don't like free money, then don't let me waste any more of your precious time. Because time is money, and its lottery time baby!

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That's right, the lottery, it's not only the American dream now. In fact, lottery stores on the island are almost as abundant as convenience stores, so on just about every corner, though unlike in America, You can't buy lottery tickets in a convenience store in Taiwan.

So what should you expect when you visit your local Taiwan Lottery store? Well there will be a man behind a counter smiling and ready to take your money, and on that counter will be stacks upon stacks of lottery scratchers, or guāguālè(刮刮樂)as they are called in Chinese. They are arranged by price, which is generally in the 100NT-1000NT price range, though they also have specially priced lottery tickets with a chance for a larger prize on holidays. The tickets are all there at your disposal, so feel free to leaf through and look for your lucky number.

Aside from the 刮刮樂, for just 50NT you can also fill out a card with your lucky numbers for the dàlètòu(大樂透) and wait for the cash to roll in! Good Luck, zhùnǐhǎoyùn(祝你好運).

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