Being A Singaporean in Taiwan
Wow my longest post yet.
Over the past month, I've recorded several points which appealed to me and made me ponder about what it means to be a Singaporean in Taiwan. Feels like it's time to share my thoughts with you guys!
The most popular question asked when I introduced myself as a Singaporean is "Oh? You guys speak Chinese? What is your national language?"
Being a Singaporean in a foreign country means most of the time, you'll have to bridge the gap and be a translator for other tourists. I find this particularly fascinating. Because honestly, and I speak for myself, I feel like we know both English and our Mother Tongue (Chinese for me) well enough to converse and convey our points, but not fluent nor articulate enough to say we've grasp both languages completely. At least for me.
So there came a point when I was trying to help a Japanese guest complete his sentence to explain to two German guests about how he injured his ankle. It was so cool. We were all speaking English to our own ability, but I was able to help both parties understand each other more clearly.
I've been told that Singlish is fascinating to foreigners. The fact that we can use so many languages to form a sentence and actually understand what one another is saying is something foreigners can't understand. For example: "Eh later ni yao ki dou dao makanz?" (Where would you like to dine at?) Like. Isn't it so cool. I think it's so cool!
So dear Singapore friends, let's be thankful we have the chance to grow up in a multi-lingual environment :)
One thing that really appeals to me about Taiwan and the people here is that they practise recycling and strongly uphold the principle of not wasting resources. Back home we have recycling bins properly labelled and coloured. But ask yourself, how often do you actually sort your waste and place them in the right bins? Most of the time we just can't be bothered right?
But having been here for a month, I've become more conscious of my waste and whether or not this or that can be recycled.
And I've been very fortunate to have met Fiona who, in our short meeting, has subconsciously taught me many values instilled in her upbringing.
For example, we were having dinner at a pork rib noodle stall and in my oversight, I took the disposable chopsticks and spoon. But Fiona was quick enough to stop me before I could harm the Earth any more. She flipped the table with all the utensils and bowls of pork rib noodles still intact, and while they rotated a full cycle in space in slow motion, she grabbed the disposable chopsticks with her toes and somersaulted across the ongoing commotion. And landed perfectly on the other side of the Universe.
I kid. So basically.
She managed to stop me from using the disposable chopsticks when there were washable ones available which I didn't notice. It's just a small gesture. But it made me realise how ignorant Singaporeans are. Most of us just use and dispose of waste without hesitation or afterthought.
Apparently some families even bring their own sets of utensils when they dine outside. To save resources and save the earth.
Something to think about guys!
And also because the garbage truck doesn't come by everyday here, you'll learn to control your waste amount. My favourite part is when the garbage truck comes by with the same music as the ice-cream truck, and everyone runs out of their homes in their slippers and bags of rubbish, and orderly queue by the road side for the truck to stop by and throw their bags. I love it so much. So cute!
And truth be told. I hated squatting toilets. Every time we take a toilet break while travelling in Malaysia, I get so reluctant to pee even though my bladder is bursting. But after being in Taiwan for a month, I'm immuned to the concept of squats. In fact, I've gotten so comfortable with it I'm even surprised at myself. Thankfully toilets in Taiwan are clean and smell is tolerable :p Makes you realise sometimes we take little things like these in Singapore for granted.
A pretty interesting phenomenon I've realised about Taiwanese is that they have a fascination with Horoscopes. Don't be surprised if your taiwanese friend asks about your horoscope, and takes a moment to process if your personality matches the characteristics of your horoscope.
It's refreshing for me because it seems everyone here has the knowledge of each horoscope and it's supposedly a common thing for them. I've never really grasp the idea of how the placement of different stars in the universe can directly affect one's personality. So to witness it as a phenomenon here baffles me. But for the fact that they get to see starry skies more often that we do in Singapore, their faith towards celestial objects could be understandable.
And lastly, I've never felt more at home whenever JJ Lin or Stefanie Sun's music come on in a random shop or starts blasting from a car driving by. On my very first day in Hualien after separating from Michelle, I remember feeling quite misfitting and alone. But when I heard Stefanie Sun's 遇見 playing from a random handicraft booth, it actually made me feel alot better :) I think sometimes we need to appreciate our local talents and be proud of them for achieving international recognition. I'm even sharing local music (Sam Willows, Linying, Take Two etc) with the people here in exchange for indie taiwanese artistes.
I've met many Singaporeans who can't wait to leave the country as soon as they can, or constantly complain about flaws in the system, the weather, the public transport, the people etc etc. Singaporeans tend to pretend to hate our country, but the fact is deep down we do love Singapore despite all the little complaints that pile up. If you really think about it, there are as many good points as there are bad points about our tiny island, so before you rage on about how you hate your country, be thankful that there's even a country you can call home and get to travel so freely with its passport.
Like today, I went to eat at a restaurant named "Singapore Bak Kut Teh". But was disappointed by the taste and got a little uptight trying to explain to my Taiwanese companion that this is not how it's supposed to taste. So you know, deep down we all get defensive about our own country and take pride, especially, in our food :p
And after speaking to a few foreigners who've been to Singapore, most of their response was:
They love it there. There's many trees. It's a good place to work for the money. But definitely not gonna settle down there/go back again because...... the people there (and I quote) "have no heart and warmth."
I don't know. I heard it, got a little defensive, but you know, I kinda agree with them. But I didn't partake in encouraging them by sharing more of our flaws. Instead I kept quiet as a form of self-reflection.
I am really fortunate to have met nice Taiwanese with good heart, who went out of their way to show me around, treat me to delicious food and played excellent hosts during my stay. But thinking back, are Singaporeans good hosts to our foreign visitors? Is it a culture we have grown accustomed to? Can our generation of Singaporeans change this impression that foreigners have of us?
Pardon me for blabbering on for so long in this post. It was written over a few days so the flow seems to break here and there :p sorry about that! haha
Just some thoughts that I've been thinking about these days.
I'm just really grateful to have been born a Singaporean. Though the world is big and there's many places seemingly better, nothing beats home. But it's still early and I wanna have fun and travel before heading home to rest and heal :)
loves,
marilyn