In Taiwan, Everything is Easy

By Joshua Dent I am writing to you today from the top of Tute Mountain in Taoyuan, Taiwan. It is quite the scenic view considering it only takes about 15 minutes to drive here from the heart of the city of Taoyuan, in northern Taiwan. While I sit in the dirt with nothing but my pen and notebook, I decided to take some time to reflect on some of the different ways my lifestyle has changed since being in "The Taiwan. " Sitting on top of this mountain could not be more picturesque. One problem looms large, and is roughly 23 feet away from me however. This obstruction to complete peace and serenity is a flock of two-winged annoying, and smelly bastards chirping away in only the most obnoxious of all voices. That is the voice of a fucking pigeon. I have hated those evil and filthy creatures since they used to haunt the gutter of my house on Filetown Road in Nazareth, PA in the 80's.                ...

By Marcus Denton Warning - I have been in Taiwan less than one year. I  understand I don't know shit yet. That is why taking the contents of this article seriously may cause serious brain defects. 1. Don't Take The Job Before You Get to Taiwan - I learned my lesson on this one the HARD way. You have to remember if an employer can't find a teacher in the country, it is normally a HUGE red flag. Their co-teachers and managers probably have shitty English at best if they can't even talk to somebody walking through the door looking for a job. Demand at least 2-3 solid references from current foreign teachers if you even consider doing this. Hold your ground on this also. The reason to hold strong, is that the school will probably give what sounds like a valid excuse why they don't have a reference for you. WARNING !! 2. Being a great Uncle doesn't make you a great teacher - So, your brother calls on you for an emergency babysitting role with ...

By Joshua Dent I play 3-4 guitar chords on my best day of my most amazing guitar work. I barely can hold a rhythm. And, I certainly don't know many different strumming patterns. It doesn't mean I don't love to play and honor and respect every person who does play. This kid will blow your mind away. http://www.shockmansion.com/2013/06/20/video-he-must-have-sold-his%EF%BB%BF-soul-to-the-devil-15-year-old-boy-absolutely-shreds-guitar-to-pieces/#.UcxLjSvyl-A.facebook

By Joshua Dent Welcome back to Taiwan. "Hey Mate, I do this awesome hypnosis called a past-life regression." That is what my Australian buddy Daniel said to me at the gym the other day. Now, I have a hunch that the average person's eyes aren't going to light up, and say "Cool, can you hook me up?" For me, it was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. Daniel was fortunately not only nice enough to let me give it a try, but he also captured it on video for us. The hypnosis is very, very, light. We still made some interesting discoveries to help me work on teaching anxiety. I also attempted a brief little pow-wow with Jerry Garcia. Take a look at the video. http://danieltolson.com/inhaling-the-joint/ Thanks for Taiwan.

One Sexy Discovery "Incredible, Awesome, Amazing..." This is just a small plethora of the flurry of words that raced through my head when I discovered the newest Chinese learning tool called Sexy Mandarin. I was ready to do a back flip when my "language exchange partner" at the time mentioned how she stumbled on this website: http://www.sexymandarin.com/ . I instantly thought I struck learning gold. Overall Experience- I immediately logged on  my computer and went for a free trial lesson. My free trial lesson came with a delightful surprise of dealing with such a friendly, professional, and well-organized company in http://www.sexymandarin.com/ . I was extremely impressed by the overall experience. Teacher Dora's Physical Appearance As I said, I was really happy about the entire time I spent with Sexy Mandarin. I'd be lying if I told you pretty girls don't only make me happy, but motivate me to learn more. That is why I am g...

Why I Travel "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." – St. Augustine Nine months ago, I lived on a beautiful 4 bedroom ranch with 2 acres of land in Phoenix, AZ. I gave that all up without hesitation for the name of travel and adventure. "Smile, Smile, Smile" Tonight, I am typing once again on the tiny foot stool-sized chair, and miniature desk in my very small Jhongli, Taiwan apartment. The only noise I can hear is the rattle of my ancient air conditioner that barely keeps the temperature tolerable. I am still feeling EXTREMELY fortunate I was given a gift yesterday about how precious life really is. I missed my 9:30 bus to a "river-tracing" destination of Wulai, and suddenly felt like the world was going to end. My face mimicked the face of when I was a 13 year old boy and my mom told me I had to turn off "Tecmo Bowl" to work on homework. I was pissed! It all worked out ok...

By Joshua Dent Best Dad Quotes "I'm not going to a GOD DAMN museum!" Author (Dale "Larue" Dent)- Josh's father Let's also not forget the strong emphasis my dad placed as he grinded his teeth together when he got to the word, GOD. It took him much longer to say the word GOD, than the rest of the sentence. Dad Highlight Reel This quote mentioned above would probably go on my own personal "Dad highlight reel." It was one of the funnier ones he used to say. We always knew it was coming as kids anytime he got within 100 yards of a museum. This is especially hilarious because I don't think anyone in the Dent family ever ONCE, even hinted at the fact that we wanted to go to a museum. He was still so intent on the fact that he would not step foot inside a museum. I know it is hard to even understand this level of intensity over something so trivial. But, this is my father and that is why we love him. ha! His irrational hatr...

By Joshua Dent   I was so proud to walk into a Chinese restaurant tonight with no pictures, English menu, or slurpees. (i.e, 7-11) and have a go at getting some decent Taiwan grub. I gave the waitress what I felt like a pretty was a very well-spoken statement in Chinese of "I would like the chicken please, and not very spicy." This 70 year old bag/waitress proceeded to act like I was speaking fucking Swahili after I gave my order. ... After my 4th attempt to repeat myself, I decided to go to the hand gestures. I gave what I thought were two very easy to understand signals, one for chicken, and one for not spicy. I even bocked like a chicken when I put my hands under my arms and pretended to flap my imaginary wings. So, what did the old bag do? She promptly returned to my table with a plate FULL of some of the SPICIEST, and shittiest BEEF (not chicken) I ever had. Hats off, Old Lady! You got me on that one! ha! Sometimes, it is harder than others to have a...

This is one of the most inspiring web sites I have ever seen. A globe and a credit card could be very dangerous after reading this one. http://www.roughguides.com/gallery/50-inspirational-travel-quotes/

Gun freaks would cringe at this idea. But, is it possible the US should follow Taiwan's lead? Have a read and let me know what you think. http://www.newsadvance.com/go_dan_river/news/danville/article_1ab9922a-b9db-11e2-af07-0019bb30f31a.html#.UZBohwrwzph.twitter The closest thing to a gun in 'The Taiwan."

By Joshua Dent WHAT??? "Taiwan, Why?" "Josh, You are going WHERE??" "TAIWAN??" "Don't you think you should know the language?!?" These were just a small sampling of the desperate pleas to get my attention before I left for "The Taiwan." They came from old bosses, family, and friends alike. I am certain I laughed them off, and shrugged my shoulders in my stoner voice with a prompt "It's cool man. I learned Spanish quick. I am sure I will learn Chinese." Learning Time I definitely came to Taiwan with a goal of being immersed as much as possible in the culture. This was to also include learning one of the world's most difficult languages. I got here with a fist full of apps on my I-phone and a box of 1990's style listen and repeat CD's. However, learning Chinese quickly seemed like an incredibly difficult task of where to even begin. Stubborn Ass To understand why I thought I could le...

By Joshua Dent "Hi ______! (insert English name here) How are you today?" NOTHING will KILL a conversation in an ESL classroom in Taiwan like the words "How are you? I can almost guarantee that you will always get the same robotic response "I'm fine, and you?" This is quite the difference from let's say asking a 13 year old American '"valley girl" the same question. I would imagine some 7th grade teachers probably avoid this question like the plague in fear of hearing about some girl's shopping trip for an entire period of Chemistry class. Trade "How are you?" for "Did you eat today?" For my approximately 211 days of residency here in "The Taiwan," I was desperately trying to find out why nobdoy would give you an honest response to this question. I can't tell you how many poor innocent children I wanted to shake the shit out of just to get another response besides "I'm fine....

I have been living and travelling in Taiwan for almost 7 months. It has been wild ride of up and down emotions that included a brutal battle with culture shock. Background " I want to strangle somebody." "Only 312 more days, 22 hours, 15 minutes, and 27 seconds more until my contract is up." I found the above quotes written in my daily journal. I am certain they should have been a pretty clear indication that something more than just the funny noise the lousy air conditioner makes at my place of employment was bothering me. I spent the first two months taking pictures and updating my Facebook status about 3-5 times a day. I was absolutely blown away by the magic and huge differences I was discovering in my daily adventures. Everything was NEW and EXCITING! I am not sure why it took me to realize something was wrong. Day 61(Roughly) The magic and excitement of watching a pack of 75 year old Taiwanese people gamble on checkers was bound t...

By Devon Banks   Imagine New York City during rush hour during the peak of summer. The air is heavy and humid and you are covered in a film of gritty sweat. Thankfully, you’ve got air-conditioning. The cars, like cattle, race quickly to try and beat the red lights. Bike messengers swerve in and out of traffic. Pedestrians, frustrated from the heat and hot sun, try to cross whenever they can. The noise from the construction beats through the windows and the glaring sun shines in your eyes. This is a nightmare commute. Driving in NYC rush hour isn’t even close to the nightmare I face daily. Trust me. I drive in one of Taiwan’s largest cities, Tainan, every day. The driving here is what nightmares are made of. Picture this: change every NYC car into a scooter, a two wheeled motorized vehicle that is capable of speeds up to 80km/h where the driver sits down on a comfy seat and controls brakes and acceleration with their hands. Continue to envision some scooters are br...

Background I currently reside in Jongli, Taiwan. Jongli is a smaller Taipei suburb that is roughly 40 minutes south of the capital city. I ABSOLUTELY adore both Taiwanese people, and Filipino people. I am only 6 months into experiencing both cultures. Both cultures seem to have many different morals and ideas. I respect the hell out of both of them. But, I think the main thing is that hey always treat you with the HIGHEST respect you could possibly even imagine. I have had friends of no longer than 5 minutes apologize that they had nothing to offer me at that very moment. I have been completely blown away by the kindness of both of them, I will also mention that I am 100% in the middle on the recent Taiwan Philipinnes tragedy. I am not in any way trying to prove who is right and wrong. I am actually trying to prove what would happen if we for once in our LIFETIMES forgot about who is right and wrong. Can we put our valued egos down as world citizens and government...