How To Taiwan?

Hi! I’m Sheenly, and I have been living in Taiwan for around 4 years.

I initially came here as a student, graduated, then started working as an engineer.

When I first hopped on the plane bound to Taiwan, dragging my luggage with wide-eyed wonder, I knew no one, had zero Chinese skills and was only looking forward to the adventures I’m going to have.

But lo and behold, the language barrier gobsmacked me in the face the very moment I landed. I didn’t expect it would be this hard to assimilate to their culture.

As a foreigner moving my whole life to a new country, there were alot of culture shocks that I only encountered here in Taiwan. For example, how to order a meal in a typical local 便當 bento shop, how you can get your package from a convenience store, and even how to order a milktea. They say so many things and at such a fast speed that I feel like I’m a deer caught in the headlights.

Most of them, feels so silly and easy after a few years of doing it. But the first few times I did things, I did it scared. I tried to do some research online, but there weren’t very many resources (or none at all).

With the persisting language barrier, there has been limited English sources that covers the minute details of everyday life in Taiwan.

So, I’m here to change that.

I’ll be sharing my experience about random things like…

• How to order a milktea in Taiwan?

• How Taiwan Uniform Invoice Lottery (統一發票) works?

• How to go cashless via LINE Pay/Taiwan Pay?

Some usual immigrant issues like…

• How to apply for an ARC?

• How to rent a house?

• How to look for a job in Taiwan?

And even adulting things like…

• How to apply for a credit card?

• How to get a car/motorcycle license?

How To Taiwan aims to breakdown life in Taiwan, so you don’t have to feel like drowning in the sea. This newsletter will document things I did, as reference for my future self. And in the process, I’m hoping this could help someone else as well.

If you’re interested, click Subscribe and receive a bite-sized read once a week.

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