Wasai--- Foreigner's Night

Many foreigners have been to a ladies night at the local bar or pub. The idea makes sense from a marketing standpoint. If the ladies can get free or reduced price beverages they are going to come in droves to the bar. Every guy knows that if the ladies show up in numbers the guys are sure to follow. In Taiwan, it is also not difficult to find bars hosting ladies nights. However, here the marketing scheme has taken an unexpected twist. Every weekend, somewhere in Taiwan, there is a foreigner's night at a local bar. Is the implication that having foreigners turn up will prompt Taiwanese to come as well? I have no idea what the logic of this tactic consist in, but I have been the happy beneficiary of no cover charge or free drinks numerous times.

A British friend who lives in Kaohsiung was discussing the strangeness of foreigner's night with me at just such a night and many pints into it. "If a pub in England advertised that foreigners could get in without paying cover, while English citizens were being charged five pounds, that pub would be fire bombed before the end of the night", he claimed. Having never lived in England, I can't substantiate the ferocity of his claimed response, but I'm sure the spirit of the response is valid. I imagine that in the United States a foreigner's night would result in a discrimination law suit. How do local Taiwanese feel about this reverse discrimination?

I took a trip to Penghu with some Taiwanese friends. We had a fun day snorkeling and scouting around the main island. Come nightfall, we decided to search for a local watering hole soon finding a funky place serving Belgian beers with hookahs packed with vanilla tobacco on every table. When my friends asked for a table they were told that there were none available. I was standing in the back of the group. We were disappointed as we turned to leave. At that point the waitress spotted me in the group. Her whole attitude changed. Suddenly there were two tables for us. After we sat down and started in on our beers, my friends jokingly thanked me for getting them a table. They clearly thought the situation was unfair but were resigned to it. Being put in this situation was slightly embarrassing but I would be lying if I said I was unhappy about getting the table.

Submitted to Wasai Taiwan by: Dustin Floreance

( Tainan County, Taiwan --- Lubbock, the U.S.)

Wasai--- A Legion of Miniature Janitors

The bell rings after 6th period and the 20 minute break begins. All day the kids have sprinted out of the classroom with every 10 minute break to start up a quick game of dodge-ball, jump-rope, hula hoop, catch or toss, and so on. They don’t waste a second of play time at Gong Jheng Elementary School (公正) in Yilan County.

But this time, something is different. Like the marching mops and brooms from Mickey Mouse’s magical escapade in Fantasia, 15 red handles waltz by my office window. It’s an army of little cleaning soldiers! . I walk out of the office and look up at the 1st grade hallway on the second floor, there’s a girl with a window squeegee, standing on the windowsill and whisking away the Windex. Two little munchkins run around below her, one sweeping loose dirt and trash into a dustbin, another doing a spotty mopping job. Continuing down the hall, two kids sprint past me, laughing, a large trash bin held between them. Two young girls with small trash cans and long tongs pick trash up out of the plants and out of the courtyard. A loud laugh causes me to look up towards the 1st floor boys room, just as 3 boys and girls come running out, tossing sudsy water back in and on the floor. The whole building is being cleaned by a legion of minature janitors!

This is different from the US, where you can normally find a crew of one or two sometimes pleasant, sometimes grumpy looking janitors, emptying all the trash bins, vacuuming all the carpets (of course, there is no carpet here with the amount of rain and obvious risk of mold and mildew – instead, almost every surface is ready for a soap and water scrub, and set up to drain water out of the way), and spreading sanitizer over any evidence of a sick second grader. Here the kids clean everything at break, and do so happily! They all smile and laugh and treat it like a game. This I find is a wonderful contrast to US culture. This isn’t child labor, but school instilling a sense of responsibility in kids from a young age. It took me a long time to realize that if I throw my trash on the ground, someone is going to have to pick it up! Children here are given a great degree of autonomy during free time. Recess means a break for kids to run in the halls, laugh and yell, and play whatever games they want. There is less supervision in my school than in US schools during recess, and the whole school, classrooms and hallways, all become a jungle gym. But there is no need to worry about the children behaving irresponsibly and disrespecting property, for the most part. They know the value of putting your trash where it belongs, because they’ve picked up what someone else has thrown down since 1st grade. I wonder how well this behavior carries over to the household. These are values I hope to instill in my children someday as well.

Submitted to Wasai Taiwan by: Dale Albanese

(Yi-lan county, Taiwan--- the U.S.)

Visit his blog: http://dalbanese.blogspot.com/

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related post:

Cleaning in schools

At my Taiwanese public elementary school of around 200 students, there are no “janitors” – at least not in the same capacity as in the US. Instead, students arrive 10 minutes before class officially starts and clean the school to cheery, upbeat children’s music. I will never forget the surprise I felt at 7:50 in the morning on my first day when I arrived to a school swarming with children toting brooms, mops, and squeegees, accompanied by a spunky Chinese version of “Old MacDonald.” There are also cleaning breaks during lunchtime and again at 3pm, right before the last class period of the day. I regularly have to jump over piles of debris and squeeze by students sweeping and mopping in order to enter or exit the teachers’ office. Even the tiny first graders can be seen wielding squeegees nearly as big as they are as they wash the classroom windows. Sure, sometimes it seems like the students do just as much gossiping and horsing around as they do cleaning, but that way no one seems to really mind. The mindset among students here isn’t that it “isn’t their job” or that “someone else” will do the cleaning. Instead it is just an established norm that the students will take a break from their day of sitting in class and spend a few minutes doing routine cleaning every day.

This concept of “cleaning up after yourself” applies to the lunchtime routine as well. While lunch as its own entity is also very different from its counterpart in the US in ways that extend beyond on what lunch is served, lunch dishes are the responsibility of the individual students. Instead of eating with school dishes and utensils, the students bring their own dishes and chopsticks. The students fill their bowls with school lunch, eat it, and then either pack their dishes back up to be taken home and washed, or wash them at school in the large sinks located at the end of each hall.

The reason for these differences is probably mostly centered around practicality. It is less expensive to operate a school without a staff to take care of daily cleaning, serving lunch, and washing dishes. However, I think that putting the students in charge of these tasks has a greater benefit than saving money alone. When it is the students’ own agency that keeps the school neat and that gives them clean dishes to eat from, they are learning valuable life skills. I remember throughout my time as a student in the US seeing signs that read “Your mother doesn’t work here. Clean up after yourself.” Besides the problematic implication that it is the mother’s job to do the cleaning anywhere, this sentiment is actually not reinforced by the way schools operate in the US. What might seem so shocking to Americans (putting the students in charge of cleaning) is just a mundane part of daily school culture here. However, it represents a great level of autonomy and personal responsibility that young Taiwanese students take on as contributors to the operation of their school. And I have to admit that I am impressed.

Submitted to Wasai Taiwan by: Julie Goshe

(Yi-lan City, Taiwan-- Tiffin, the U.S.)

Wasai-- Racism in Taiwan

If you approached most Taiwanese people and asked them about racism in Taiwan, they would probably tell you that there is no racism in Taiwan. They might say racism is a problem in other countries and they will be quick to relate stories about this if it has personally affected them. However, if you spend a little time observing and listening to people in Taiwan you will soon find that racism exists in Taiwan, just like every other country in the world.

The classified ad above (from the Taipei Times 24 June 2006) shows that Taiwanese employers can very specifically advertise for employees based on race. Discriminating on the basis of race or ethnicity is probably the worst one. However, in Taiwan it is considered quite normal to specifically state the age, gender and even marital status in an employment ad.

I remember once visiting a school and the owner told me she was having difficult employing new teachers. She said lots of people had applied but they were all “block” teachers. I wasn't quite sure what she meant and it was only later that I figured out she was in fact saying “black” not “block.” Discrimination against foreigners wanting to teach English whose skin is not considered to be the right color is common. So is the terrible treatment that many migrant workers from Southeast Asia are subjected to.

Racism manifests in many ways. In Taiwan it is probably reasonable to say it rarely manifests as physical violence. Instead it is expressed in more subtle ways through verbal discrimination and exclusion.

In many ways I am fortunate, as an English speaking white male I don't really experience the negative forms of racism discussed above. However, there are also positive and neutral forms of racism which I encounter on a daily basis.

The positive form is something that most people probably actually appreciate. The “foreigner” is singled out for special treatment. They are given a special place at the table, others insist upon paying for their meals or giving them things for free. This is often people being very friendly or going out of their way to take care of guests. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but I sometimes feel uncomfortable in these situations. Why should I enjoy all this special treatment when there are Taiwanese people around me just as deserving of it.

There is also a neutral type of racism that is also commonly encountered. It is the person who insists on pointing out the presence of a “foreigner.” This is often accompanied by chatter amongst their group speculating about whether the foreigner can speak Chinese or whether they should go and practice their English with him.

What annoys me about this is constantly being seen as other or outsider. In reality we are all humans. No matter what color our skin or what language we speak we share far more in common than that which differentiates us.

It is important to discuss this topic because Taiwanese people are in a state of denial. Although racism is not going to disappear overnight, if people begin to openly discuss then attitudes can change. Taiwan's demographics are changing with the presence of many foreign workers and spouses. They are all an important part of Taiwan's future. Taiwan must ensure that they are welcomed and integrated into the community.

Contributted to Wasai Taiwan by: David Reid

(Australia--- Taipei, Taiwan)

Visit his blog: David on Formosa

http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/

Wasai--- Footing the Bill, Saving Face

Going out with Taiwanese friends, one is sure to notice the custom of one person treating all the others to a meal. Although "going Dutch" is common among westerners, it is foreign to Taiwanese culture. Nevertheless, when dining with Taiwanese companions, the question remains, which among a group of friends is to foot the bill, or put another way, which has the honor to treat his or her friends. Before living in Taiwan for long, one is sure to come across the common scene of two or three men pushing and twisting their way towards the check out counter vying to pay the bill, laughing and shouting all the while.

Moon Festival of 2006, my wife and I went on a road trip with our friends, a Taiwanese couple and their three year old son. The first night, we camped out at Mei Shan Kou, on the south cross island highway. The following two days, we drove down the east coast from Tai Tong via Tai Ma Li, ending up in Ken Ting National Park. Although everyone had a great time seeing the sights, eating and drinking, I felt slightly embarrassed that my friend A-Bin insisted on paying for everything. Any attempt to pay for food or drink was preempted by a smiling A-Bin.

The last day of the trip we all ate lunch in one of Ken Ting's many seafood restaurants. The fare included a few kinds of fish, crabs, clams and other varieties of shellfish, far too much food for four adults and one three year old. Every meal that trip had displayed the same superfluity. I mentioned this to A-Bin, who laughingly replied that his wife, Mei, and he always ate this many different dishes. He claimed that they hated to eat only a couple of kinds of food a meal as there was not enough variety in the flavors. I could not decide whether this statement was merely an excuse to further treat my wife and me to an overabundance of hospitality, or an insight into the lavishness of their dining habits.

I resolved to use this final opportunity to turn the tables and treat A-Bin and his family. While out wives were showing A-Bin's son some of the creatures swimming and crawling about in the tanks out front of the restaurant, I called the waitress over to ask for the check. A-Bin immediately told me not to worry that he wanted to pay. I protested that he had paid for everything not allowing me to pay my share. It was then that A-Bin taught me an important lesson about Taiwanese character that I had realized only vaguely if at all before this moment. He told me that paying for the meal was a way for him to gain face and that if I did not allow him to pay he would lose face. All Taiwanese men feel this way, he told me. From my experiences since that meal, I can vouch that what my friend A-Bin revealed to me is true. Again, I had no choice but to allow him to pay. He promised when they next visited us, that I, not he, could treat. From all I have learned, the sincerity of that statement is in doubt.

Submitted to Wasai Taiwan by: Dustin Florence

(Lubbock, the U.S. --- Tainan County, Taiwan)

Wasai--- Dating 101

I was dating a cute girl soon after arriving in Tainan. I was smitten so did everything you're expected to do: open doors, buy flowers, gifts, dinner and dancing, the works. And things seemed to be going pretty well. We were seeing each other every few days and everything felt like it was going just right. Until one day, I bought her a box of chocolates. It was wrapped and still in its gift bag when I handed it to her. She accepted it and then to my surprise, instead of opening it up, she simply smiled and placed it on the table next to her and then went on as if nothing had just happened.

Whoa, there, I thought. That was odd. If she didn’t like the present, she was of course under no obligation to enthuse about the offering but sheesh, take a look and say a quick thanks at least. Right? I brushed it off as we were going out but the mystery lingering and began festering in the back of my mind.

2-3 days later, I couldn’t ignore it anymore and told her I was a bit dismayed at her “callousness” when she accepted my gift. She thought I was off my rocker. She was delighted, she said. “What did I do wrong?” she asked. I told her that I was offended by her completely disregarding my feelings and having thrown my gift aside. She replied that I was being too sensitive and unreasonable.

Now I really was stumped and the discussion started getting more and more heated as I repeatedly explained my dismay and she continually defended the improprieties that I was accusing her of.

Turns out it was a misunderstanding. In the West, when we get a present, we are expected to make a big to-do about it, even if it’s something unwelcome like getting that ugly lime green and brown striped sweater from Aunt Thelma. It’s the thought that counts, right?

Only later did I learn that here in Taiwan, most of the time, gifts are not opened but set aside. It would seem too greedy or impatient for a person to immediately unwrap a present. So for Taiwanese, it’s the thought that counts too.

It took a couple of hours until this little light went on for both of us but when we finally did sort through this we were both relieved and incredulous.

She's now my wife and we still have a good laugh at the funny cultural gaffe.

Submitted to Wasai Taiwan by: Robert Dawson

Wasai---Living with parents

Like many, if not most, North Americans of European decent, after graduating high school, I was faced with two choices: go to college, or get a job and move out. Living with my parents was not an option, nor did I want it to be one. Though attitudes regarding this subject are slowly changing, it is generally still considered a point of shame for any working age person to be living with their parents. Above all, it seems that we value our independence, and to not exercise this freedom is indicative of some character flaw or social ineptitude. Ingrained in most teenager’s brains is the image of the solitary loner living in his parents basement, shunned by the opposite sex, and ridiculed by those around them. We need to look no further then the recent movie “Failure to Launch” chronicling a women’s look into why some [deviant] men choose to live at home. Our upbringing has taught us that it’s not normal to live with our parents. I was certainly no exception, living hundreds of kilometers from my parents, and visiting relatives only on holidays.

Through several interesting conversations I am learning that this aspect of life is very different here. From those I have talked to it would seem that children are almost expected to live at home, sometimes even if they are married! It seems very strange to me some people have secret apartments that they hide from their parents, or that they live in separate cities from their parents for the sole purpose of justifying living on their own. Stranger still is the young (and sometime not so young) married couples that live with their parents. Even back in Canada I was perplexed by someone’s decision to move back to Taiwan to live with his parents – even at the expense of leaving his wife in Canada!

Though in many ways this lifestyle makes perfect sense, my western way of thinking has a hard time accepting it. I can imagine that the strong family ties here make life easier in many ways. In Canada, many young couples struggle to support themselves financially, doubly-so if they have children that are sent to expensive day-cares; here the cost of living would be carried by the whole family, and so often it seems the grandparents watch the children while the parents work. I think Westerners could benefit greatly from adopting even a fraction of this family unity, but first we must overcome our fierce sense of independence.

Submitted to Wasai Taiwan by: Alexander Bunkowski
(Tainan City, Taiwan--- Vancouver, Canada)

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Wasai---George Washington and the Cherry Tree

In one of my first classes as an English teacher in Taiwan I made, what was for me an amazing discovery. Everyone had heard of that story of George Washington chopping down his father’s favorite cherry tree and then confessing “Father I cannot tell a lie, it was I who cut down your cherry tree.” It is remarkable when you think about it that such a simple story that may or may not have happened half a world away is well known in Taiwan. I was even more surprised to read in a book by Richard Hartzell that he had studied many works of Chinese literature and asked many students if there was any comparable story in all of Chinese literature. Neither he nor any of his students could find a story in all 5,000 years of Chinese culture with a similar moral--that you should speak truth to power even if it is a very inconvenient truth to swallow. Sure enough, I could find stories where the wise man tells one thing to one person and then the opposite to another presumably because it is the state of mind of the listener that is to be considered, but no story to praising the habit of telling the truth even if it very uncomfortable.

Ever since then I have wondered how much this could be responsible for the smooth operation of things here in Taiwan. Unless you watch the evening news you will see very few people getting angry in public and almost no disagreement on any issue. As a teacher I have been completely unsuccessful at every attempt so far to stir up a disagreement or a debate in any classroom, no matter how hard I try to encourage it! There seems to be a remarkable ability to frame and reframe opinions and viewpoints to smooth over any possible differences of opinions. Is this one of the secrets for a calm peaceful society? I wonder, if George Washington had been Chinese, what would he have told his father?

Submitted to Wasai Taiwan by: Tim Allen (Hsinchu)

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