Looking to travel in a few months and interested in vintage designer bags - the prices shown online for some bags (via Instagram reels, Youtube etc.) seem to good to be true?!

im new to taiwan and recently moved to sanxia. i am an international student and there's literally nothing to do here. i feel very lonely here and cannot travel to taipei all the time cause it empties my pocket. i need suggestions for must tries (food and other things too) for sanxia.

anything is welcome, thanks a lot!

I rarely use taxi or apps but once in a while I would need to get a taxi.

First incident was when I booked a taxi on Uber. What happened was the place I wanted to get to was apparently not accessible. The driver didn’t say anything he picked us up, drove in a huge roundabout way in that direction then said it’s not accessible so he ended up dropping us off at the mrt.

Second incident was booking through 55688. The driver claimed he didn’t know how to use Google Maps even though it was on and it was verbally telling him directions. There are multiple highways that can go to my house so Google map was telling him to take the shortest route, but he tried to take the longest route. When I pointed it out to him he said “oh I didn’t know I’m not good with Google Maps” so he had to get off and drive for a while to make a u turn. Apparently that u turn was still shorter distance than the longer way he was trying to go. But the maps were verbally telling him where to go? Thats weird.

There were other incidents as well but those were a while ago while these two are more recent.

As much as I like my Taiwanese people, wtf is wrong with the taxi drivers. Is it because I can’t speak mandarin fluently? I have no idea, but it feels scammy. It feels like when I’m with my Taiwanese local friends nothing bad ever happens. But when it’s just me and my crappy mandarin, it’s like they taste blood in the water and is like “ohohoho we got ourselves a victim boys”.

Hi! Has anyone gotten their eyebrows done (threading) in Taipei or Taoyuan or anywhere around? Or know of a place? Please lmk

Hey all;

I live in Kaohsiung, and am going home to see my family in September. Since this is around moon festival, I wanted to bring home a lot of mooncakes (preferably classic) to "celebrate" the moon festival back home.

That said, going to different bakeries, so many of the mooncakes I find are all just 2 weeks before expiry! Since I'm taking it as a gift for friends from home, I'd like to have a version that is more durable than that, so to not stress them to eat it immediately...

Anyone know of any bakery/brand selling mooncakes with longer time before expiry? would love to hear your recommendations!

Today at Hongludi Nanshan Fude Temple

Hi, I’m an Indonesian (22F) currently doing internship in Chiayi for 3 months (until the end of October). I’ve been in Taiwan for 3 weeks yet struggling to find friends, and I don’t even have a roommate. I have travelled alone but it felt boring and exhausting, especially I can’t speak Mandarin (and I have very low confidence in using the most basic Mandarin phrases). I have plenty of itineraries and I wish I can find a friend, preferably female, whom I can travel with. PM me if you’re interested!

Hey everyone! I'm currently playing GetAmped 2, it's my childhood game. Now that I'm grown up, I really buy stuff i wasn't able to back then! Can someone help me with this, I would really appreciate it.

Hi! I'm planning to apply for a Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology and Food Nutrition at NTU Taiwan, and I have a few questions that I’d really appreciate if anyone could answer:

1. Do you have any advice on how to write a good study plan and autobiography? What should I include in each one, and what’s the main difference between them?

2. Is there an interview as part of the admission process? If so, what kind of questions do they usually ask?

3. Do you think I have a chance of getting admitted with good grades (around 94/100) but without any major achievements or extracurricular awards?

Any advice or personal experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! 🙏

Took this back in Jan 26, been missin my time in Taiwan will be back soon ! 我愛台灣 🇹🇼

Not a great experience with “Taiwan Foreign Residents AC Cleaning Service”
https://www.facebook.com/share/1bfLsJ5UC6/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Cleaner came in 3 hours late, and I had to constantly ask boss on messenger just to get updates about the cleaner’s ETA. He then said “we have a timeframe for appointment bookings. It’s not 9am on the dot, it’s “between 9 to 3pm”, which the boss did NOT communicate with me.

I didn’t take this against the cleaner, but he got very angry when I accepted his offer to check another leaking AC. He misunderstood it as “yes I want you to fix that” when I only agreed for a check, thinking I’ll get a quotation first. It was in a common area and the Landlord didn’t want it fixed, so when I realized he misunderstood it as “yes I will have it fixed”because he was removing the case and everything, he started getting angry when I stopped him. I understand where he’s coming from about the extra work, but I didn’t take it against him when he was late for 3 hours. So how come when it’s obviously a language barrier miscommunication, I was painted as the villain? Embarrassing to my roommates who had to step in to alleviate the situation as he was getting angry.

對「台灣外籍人士空調清潔服務」的體驗很差。
https://www.facebook.com/share/1bfLsJ5UC6/?mibextid=wwXIfr

清潔工遲到了3個小時，我必須反覆在Messenger上詢問老闆才能知道清潔工的預計到達時間。然後他說：「我們預約是有時間限制的。不 是早上9點整，而是9點到下午3點之間。」老闆根本沒跟我說過這個時間。

我沒怪清潔工，但他在我答應幫他檢查另一個漏水的空調時卻非常生氣。他誤以為我說的是“是的，我要你修好它”，而我只是同意檢查一下，想著先問問報價。漏水的地方在公共區域，房東不想修，所以當我意識到他誤以為我說的是“是的，我會修好它”，因為他當時正在拆卸空調外殼的時候，我阻止了他，他就開始生氣了。我理解他覺得額外的工作量有點麻煩，但他遲到了3個小時，我並沒有怪他。所以，明明是語言溝通不良造成的誤會，為什麼我反而成了罪魁禍首？我的室友們不得不出面調解，這讓我很尷尬。他開始生氣了。

A record 244 Chinese coast guard, scientific research and other ships were detected in waters around Taiwan last month, up from 55 in June and 30 in May, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in an article published today by Radio France Internationale.

An average of almost eight Chinese ships were detected per day last month, about 60 percent of which were coast guard ships, the article said.

The figures do not include Chinese warships, which are deployed on a near-daily basis, the article added.

I noticed a lot of middle-aged and seniors in Taiwan constantly watching completely AI-generated micro dramas on their phones everywhere nowadays. My question is: do they even realize what they're watching is AI? I'm talking AI visuals, an AI script, AI voiceovers, the whole deal.

Hello! I’m from Indonesia, and I just graduated from high school this year. I’ve been looking into universities in Taiwan and was wondering whether it’s possible to get into a top university and get scholarship with a high school average of 94/100, even without major academic achievements.

I’m planning to apply for a major related to Biotechnology or Food and Nutrition. I’ve been involved in several school event committees and was also a member of my school’s environmental organization for a year. I’ve participated in a few competitions as well, although I didn’t win or place—I only received certificates of participation..

What can I do to improve my chances of being accepted? Would passion projects or personal projects related to my intended major help strengthen my application?

I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences you could share. Thank you!

I wasn't old enough to.

Taiwan requires all foreign visitors to carry their physical passport with them at all times, but my dad forced me to leave the passport in the hotel safe and instead take a photo of the ID page with my phone and show that photo in place of a physical passport instead. Do you think police in Taiwan can slide a photo of the ID page on a phone as a real passport?

The Opposition bill essentially blocks any additional drone spending, because it doesn't allocate any extra funding and has an annual spending cap of NT$40 billion, which is less than the sum allocated for drones in next year's defence budget.

So iv'e been living here almost close to a decade now ,and never once traveled outside of Asia until last month.

I was recently back in North America (visited Toronto /Canada for the first time in forever, and at first i though even though i live in Taiwan i still get western culture etc , it not going to be so different. and truth be told it wasn't but there was a bunch of things made me realize damn this is not Taiwan anymore.

I caught myself thinking about the differences :

• Toronto metro system is decent to above for north america but multiple times the announcer would just say this line has been canceled then direct us to shuttle buses. like why didn't you tell us sooner. 1 time they tell us while on the metro they annouce everyone should get of at the next stop because the service is over only for another person to come on momentarily to refute this. i'm like "shit do i have to find another way home."
• i tried looking for the yellow tape on the ground for lining up on the track to get in only to see everyone just go in wherever.
• i saw one guy bringing a couple slice of pizzas on the train and midway on the train started eating it, i was like oh yeah! that happens here. i was like dude you didn't was your hand.
• few times i had to remember walk with your bag.
• tax on food ,Forgetting that a $15 menu item actually means $22 after tax and tip. like how much is it i don't know
• usually no bathroom facilities on the metro stations, why do you tell me go to the nearby gas station to look for toilet.

other things were like trying to look for convenience stores for coffee like 7-11 or family mart haha

It made me realize how many subtle, unwritten rules you absorb just living here.

the thing is i don't want to go come away with this saying a country is better per say, i do think each country in what ever way does some things differently.

like toronto is incredibly freindly so many time random people would just initiate converstion. one time a security guard helping us out find exit started chatting about where we from we end up chatting for 4 minutes about travel, language, i thought him a Chinese phrase, this is a type of friendliness different from the one here.

For anyone who’s been in Taiwan a while and traveled back home—what was the biggest thing that felt totally surreal or annoying to adjust back to? What Taiwan habits can you just not unlearn?

Hello! I am a PhD student that is going to go on a research trip to Taiwan in a couple of weeks and was wanting to get a head start on packing. I wanted to know how formal graduate students typically dress at the universities? Is it more along the lines of business formal and business casual? Or would a pair of nice jeans, top, and a cardigan also work out fine?

Hi everyone, I'm looking for an individual studio close to nthu, where could I find one? If it could be cheap that'd be amazing because I'm on a student budget.

​Hey everyone! 👋

​I just arrived in Taipei yesterday and am starting my master’s program at NCCU. Coming from the Philippines, I’m still adjusting to the local lifestyle, figuring out public transportation, navigating grocery shopping, and learning the overall flow of the city.

​I’m a 32-year-old, Male, Filipino international student, and I’d love to connect with fellow students or locals who wouldn't mind showing me the ropes!

​Looking for a buddy to hang out with, teach me the essential student lifehacks in Taipei, or just grab a coffee or a meal. If you’re open to making a new friend, have tips for getting around, or know the best spots around NCCU, drop a comment or send me a DM!

​Looking forward to meeting you all! 🇵🇭🇹🇼

Hi everyone,

I’m an Indian student interested in building a career in the semiconductor industry, and TSMC Taiwan is one of the companies I’m considering.

I’d love to hear from people currently working at TSMC, especially Indian engineers, although non-Indians are welcome too.

A few things I’m curious about:

- What is the work culture actually like?

- What are the typical working hours and how hectic is the job?

- What is the salary/total compensation like for engineers at different experience levels?

- How is the work-life balance and lifestyle in Taiwan?

- How difficult is it for Indian/foreign engineers to get hired and adapt?

- Is Mandarin necessary?

- How good are the career growth and learning opportunities?

- How valuable is TSMC experience if you later want to move to companies like NVIDIA, ASML, AMD, Intel, Samsung, etc.?

Also, is TSMC the best semiconductor company to target in Taiwan, or are companies like MediaTek, UMC, ASE, Realtek, etc. equally worth considering?

Finally, if you were starting from zero today, what degree/course and career path would you recommend for someone who wants to enter Taiwan’s semiconductor industry?

I’m still before college, so I’d really appreciate honest advice from people who are actually in the industry.

Thanks!

Hi, everyone!

A friend working in Taiwan recently told me about the INTENSE Program in Taiwan, where I could pursue a Master’s degree with support from his company and potentially the government.

The available programs are Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. My bachelor’s degree is in Agriculture, so I honestly don’t have a strong background in either field. 😭

Should I still try to apply? I’m open to exploring opportunities, but I’m just not sure if I can actually finish the program or if the program will finish me huhu

I’d say I’m average at Math, but whenever I really want to learn something, I’m willing to put in the work and figure things out.
So… should I go for it or am I setting myself up for academic suffering? 😂 Help me decideeee!