Chinese is Not Always Easy
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...