Introduction
I landed in Taipei on a late March night. Exhausted from traveling for the past sixteen hours with two heavy suitcases in tow, I dreaded having to find my way home. However, I soon realized the transit system was shockingly intuitive — and English was everywhere: from the signs to the ticket machines to even the train announcer. Within a few minutes, I’d already found my way and settled in for my two-hour journey from Taipei to Kaohsiung. As the train started moving, I watched the trees and buildings zoom by outside my window, and the landscape of Taiwan unfolded before me. I felt myself smiling — my journey was finally starting.
The following few weeks were a blur of meeting new people and exploring the city. At first, I was embarrassed that I couldn’t speak Chinese fluently, but locals and service workers are incredibly helpful and patient. They never made me feel uncomfortable or dumb, and some of them were even curious about where I’m from and why I was in Kaohsiung. Over time, I learned to overcome that embarrassment and not be afraid to speak up. Even with that aside, Taiwan’s bigger cities that see a lot of tourism (like Taipei, Kaohsiung, even Tainan) are very accessible as an English speaker. A lot of restaurant menus, street signs, public transit, etc. are offered bilingually.
Speaking as a woman raised in New York, my biggest culture shock might have been how safe Taiwan is. Generally speaking, crime rates are very low, and I’ve never felt uncomfortable walking alone or late at night.
