First Impressions of Taiwan – From Classroom to Community: Learning Beyond Borders in Taiwan

Introduction: First Impressions of Taiwan by Hana & Molly

It has been almost a week since we landed in Taiwan, and we’ve already gotten to experience so much! In many ways, it has felt like we’ve been here for months. The first week was a major adjustment period where we got to experience many culture shock moments.

Image 1: Group photo of OSU students when we met our “guardian angels” at Fu Jen University on our first full day. This photo was taken at the front of the school in front of the cross, as we learned that the curved nature of the cross is to symbolize a warm welcome.

The Convenience of Convenient Stores

Although we have 7/11 in the U.S., I rarely visit them as they aren’t that common and often hold dirty or unappetizing appearances. However, in Taiwan, the first thing I noticed was the abundance of 7/11 and other convenience stores. In Taiwan, there are three leading chains of convenience stores: 7/11 (an American brand), Family Mart (a Japanese Brand), and High Life (a Taiwanese Brand). We observed at least one convenience store on every street, and there are easily 6 or 7 at our university campus. Not only are they convenient, location-wise, but inside, the lights are bright, clean, and filled with all necessities. There are several rows of juices, coffees, and teas to choose from! The food choices are also limitless, ranging from grab-and-go snacks to microwavable meals. My current go-order is a grilled meat Onigiri and a milk tea! The best part is that the food is all very affordable! My meal costs me around TWD 80, about USD 2.5, which is unheard of in the U.S.

Image 2-3: Seven-Eleven store near Fu Jen University’s campus. There are so many drinks and snacks to choose from and the best part is most of them are open 24/7!

The Party Starts at Night

In the U.S., everything is open super early. It’s very normal for our days to start around 6 a.m., and on our first few days, we would be out and about by 7 a.m. in Taiwan due to jet lag. However, we quickly noticed that nothing would be open that early. Although there are many coffee and tea shops, many open closer to 10. I also saw that many clothing stores open at 1 p.m., which was a huge shock! However, on the other hand, everything here is open super late! Most shops close around 10~11 p.m., with many of the stores also operating 24 hours. Back home, especially in Corvallis, I’m used to everything closing by 8 p.m., so it has been super nice with everything being open till late as I feel like I’m really able to explore Taiwan!

Image 4: Keelung Night Market. This picture illustrates the liveliness of Taiwan at night and all the wonderful food that is available each night! Through the program, we get to experience going to a night market almost every night, and it’s really cool to see all the local vendors.

Acts of Kindness

Another huge thing I noticed about Taiwan is how friendly and helpful the people are. On my second night, I was with Arthur and Molly on the MRT (subway) coming back from getting dinner when I suddenly got a nosebleed on the train. Unfortunately, I didn’t have many tissues, and thus, blood was dripping everywhere: on my clothes and on the train floor. Fortunately, the people in the packed train were accommodating and handed me several packs of tissues, a small plastic bag for my garbage, and even a face mask. Even when I got off the train, people were still handing me tissues and asking if I was okay, which was really thoughtful and helpful. Even as a foreigner, I felt welcomed. However, this experience made me think about how it would be different in the U.S. Back home, I feel like no one would really help me, and being on the train, I feel like I would be worried about so many other things like my safety and personal items during a situation like this.

Image 5: This picture was taken during one of our cooking classes with the Fu Jen University students. Every week we come together to cook traditional Taiwanese food, and during this class, we made Tangyuan (glutinous rice flour balls) and Ai Yu Jelly! Everyone is always super nice and makes sure we are taken care of!

The Busy Streets of Taiwan

One of my first impressions while arriving in Taiwan was the different means of transportation commonly used here. Initially, it was very chaotic and overstimulating because the sidewalks are so narrow and close to the street. Some areas have no sidewalks at all, forcing us to have to walk in the streets right up against moving vehicles. The most common vehicle I have seen being used in Taiwan by far is mopeds/scooters. With all the narrow streets and alleyways, scooters make it easier to zip around the city. In Taiwan, scooters are seen as being more efficient financially and for traveling than cars are. Many locals in Taiwan don’t need to travel too far for work or home, which makes it a cheaper and easier option to use scooters to get around.

Image 6: Street view in Taipei in the daytime.

Accessible Fresh Foods

During my first full day at Fu Jen Catholic University, my “guardian angels,” aka the university students, took me to a local and popular food mart called PX Mart. The first aisle we walked down was the refrigerated fresh food, where students could quickly grab meats, fish, and local produce. I remember seeing the options they had so readily available to them and being in such awe of the freshness in their fish and meats. The seafood amazed me the most since I am used to having frozen and pre-cut fish as an inexpensive and more accessible option in the US. It is the complete opposite here in Taiwan since it is located on an island surrounded by an array of different seafood. The colors on the fish were brighter, and the meat was thicker and fuller than I’d ever seen packaged fish look like. At a fair price ranging from $300-$600 NTD (about 9 to 20 dollars USD), it makes eating fresh fish very accessible here in Taiwan. This is in comparison to the overpriced seafood in the US, where it is very costly to buy better quality and fresher fish. Having fresh fish available at convenient stores like PX Mart and priced so inexpensively makes eating healthier more convenient.

Image 7-8: Fresh produce (i.e., meat and vegetables) aisles at a store in Taipei, Taiwan.

The Rules on Public Transportation

Before I had even arrived in Taiwan, one of my professors on the trip with us, Kristen, informed our group that there was to be no drinking, eating, or chewing gum while traveling on public transportation. She told us how one of her friends taking the train was reprimanded for chewing gum on the train once. It is quite easy to forget about since the US public transportation doesn’t have those laws or are enforced well. During the first week of my stay in Taiwan, one of my peers took a sip from her water bottle so discreetly that even I didn’t notice and was right behind her, yet a train station personnel caught her and politely told her, “No drinking.” I was so surprised that he had noticed the split second she took to take a sip of water, but that is how they are able to keep public transportation clean and tidy in Taiwan. I grew up in the city of Chicago, where the public transportation is usually dirty, smelly, and compact, but that couldn’t be more opposite here in Taiwan. The trains and buses are almost spotless, and I never leave feeling unclean or disgusted. The locals here realize that following the rules of not drinking, eating, or chewing gum while on public transportation will help keep their rides to where they need to go clean and more enjoyable.