In Taiwan, Everything is 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...

By Joshua Dent   #2 Pencils Did you ever hear a song so many times that you felt like you were one note away from deliberately gouging out your own eyes with a bright and shiny #2 pencil? Carly Rae’s “Here’s My Number, Call Me Maybe” had me reaching for my trusty #2 on many occasions this past winter in Jongli, Taiwan. “The Jongli” Never heard of Jongli, Taiwan? What’s wrong with you? I am just kidding. There is no reason you should know “The Jongli.” It is just a small suburb of Taiwan’s capital city Taipei. To me, it’s urban and flat, with a river that smells like the dumpster behind Mcdonald’s. Family Fun- 99 Red Balloons Style I really am not kidding about how bad I hate that song. I was very close to going absolutely Ape-Shit if I heard that song one more time. NOTHING in this ENTIRE world pissed me off more this last winter than day, after day, after day, after day of hearing the WORST song in American history. I would have to go back to the ear...