I'm considering a move to Taipei Taiwan and wanted some info...?

Question

How hard is it to find safe, reasonably priced apartments?
Is the public transportation safe/reliable?
Is it easy to keep pets in the city?
Is Taipei in general safe?
What are the attitudes towards Westerners?
Is it better to learn Chinese or Taiwanese?
Anything else about living in Taipei Taiwan you can think of...

Answer 1

Here are my answers for your questions:

How hard is it to find safe, reasonably priced apartments?
Pretty easy. Rents are more expensive in Taipei city than in other areas. You might contact a realty agent.

Is the public transportation safe/reliable?
The MTR system is great and very convenient. The bus system is OK, but not nearly as good.

Is it easy to keep pets in the city?
Yes

Is Taipei in general safe?
In general, it's very safe. If you are female, you might get weird or rude comments from guys, though.

What are the attitudes towards Westerners?
I think they are pretty friendly. Many Taiwanese like to practice their English, so they are willing to help you around so they can improve.

Is it better to learn Chinese or Taiwanese?
I would stick to Mandarin Chinese. Taiwanese is spoken more outside Taipei, but really Mandarin can help you everywhere. Also, Taiwanese is easier to learn.

Go to the websites below for more information about Taiwan.

Answer 2

How hard is it to find safe, reasonably priced apartments?

There is really no dangerous place to live in Taipei... unlike bigger cities like London, NYC or Paris. I've lived in England for a year and my house has been burgled 3 times already.... I lived in Taiwan for 14 years and my apt had never been burgled.

Is the public transportation safe/reliable?

Oh yeah bus and MRT are reliable... and cabs r super cheap.

Is it easy to keep pets in the city?

Yes, it is very easy, and unlike the UK or the US, you most likely won't need the landlord's approval to keep pets.

Is Taipei in general safe?

Taipei is extremely safe... you should feel safe all the time when you are there, well, unless you have earthquake-phobia.

What are the attitudes towards Westerners?

Taiwanese girls love foreigners, doesn't matter if you are black, white, or Hispanic, they'll find you exotic and you'll get a lot of attention. In general, most people are very nice towards westerners and more and more people speak English these days.

Is it better to learn Chinese or Taiwanese?

You should prolly start with Chinese, since you'll be living in Taipei. But I know this American guy who goes Taiwan TV shows, he speaks fluent Taiwanese and people find it cool...

Anything else about living in Taipei Taiwan you can think of...

Try to like the street food, it may taste nasty at first, but it takes time to get used to... and once you get used to, you'll like it for the rest of your life.

Answer 3

I'm a Chinese American and I lived in Taiwan for 8 months back in 2000. On your questions:

How hard is it to find safe, reasonably priced apartments?
- In 2000, it wasn't too difficult. There were lots of different types of accomodations advertised in the Taipei Times and on the bulletin boards of my language school.

Is the public transportation safe/reliable?
- Excellent public transportation in Taipei including the very well utilized subway system, inexpensive taxis, and good bus network (you'll need to read Chinese pretty well to get around on the buses though).

Is it easy to keep pets in the city?
- Alot of people keep pets in the city and walk them on the streets and in the parks. No designated dog parks in the city that I recall. (People are not so great about picking up after them though!)

Is Taipei in general safe?
- Very very safe. Youl'll see school kids walk on the streets alone even at night. It's a large city but has a small town provincial feel. There is a robust middle class and you won't see alot of drug problems or impoverished which tends to foster crime.

What are the attitudes towards Westerners?
- Very friendly towards Westerners and foreigners in general. (Much much more friendly and considerate than in Mainland China or Hong Kong). They are also used to seeing Westerners so you don't really have to worry too much about being stared at or having your privacy invaded.

Is it better to learn Chinese or Taiwanese?
- Definitely better to learn Mandarin. Everyone speaks Mandarin there and Mandarin is used most widely outside of Taiwan.

Anything else about living in Taipei Taiwan you can think of...
- Try all the food you can! Especially in the night markets. Taiwanese are very proud of their food and it's to be relished!

Answer 4

If you are considering moving to Taiwan you might want to check with the Thai Embassy. You cannot just waltz into a foreign country with only a passport despite what you may hear. I have done research on a lot of countries. You have to have a visa to live and work in a foreign country. You also have to pass an inspection by an immigrations officer. You also would need to apply for your alien registration card upon immediate arrival. Most importantly do not ever walk around without your passport or alien registration card. You will get arrested and banned from the country for not having a passport equipped with a visa. Without your alien registration card you cannot open a bank account or anything. I suggest you visit the Embassy of Taiwan online to check visa requirements. Also to enter an Asian country to live and work you must have a college degree, and no there is no way around this. You must apply with a foreign company to sponsor you so you can get your work visa. Citizenship is totally different. You have to live in an Asian country for 10 years to get citizenship. Even when you do qualify for citizenship you have to denounce your US citizenship because Asia don't do dual citizenship.

Answer 5

It's better to learn Mandarin Chinese, that' what the vast majority speak.

Answer 6

Visit Rental Taiwan, www.rentaltw.com, they can help you find an accommodation easily.

Answer 7

youll be so tall there

they're like munchkins

Answer 8

WHAT DO YOU NEED?
YOU CAN WRITE TO ME
I AM FROM TAIWAN TAIPEI

[e-mail]

Answer 9

no