An Old Hand's Taiwan

                    外國人: Are you being microaggressed? The Monkey doesn't like being looked at like that. It makes it feel "othered," you species-ist bigots! Another worn out staple of expat online discussions is the "problematic positionality"* of being referred to by locals as "foreigner." Any posts on the subject descend into expressions of outrage at how they and foreigners in general will never be accepted here. The following is my 2NTD response to the cry bullies. * Postmodern bullshit term courtesy of Laurier university and Goolag  Taiwan: Where the bicycles should come with trigger warnings. Note on the current crop of foreigners I have to just make the general observation that, as Taiwan has gotten easier than ever for westerners to live in, there seems to be an increased sense of whiny entitlement among newly arrived foreigners. Perhaps it is just my impression... or perhaps it is millennials:...

Are Taiwanese Girls Easy (or are you)? It has got to be one of the most over-done tropes on the internet: the age-old question of whether or not the local girls are easy. Blogs and YouTube videos with click-bait titles abound on the topic and it's been a contentious topic among expats for years. I thought I would offer the OldHand take on matter. Certainly, it's no secret that the average western guy will find he has a lot more attention here on our shores than in the west. Exoticism is still an aphrodisiac, it seems. Name of the motel is the Yi Jia Yi Motel, "Yi Jia Yi" being a homophone for 1+1 in Mandarin. Love motels often cum (oh my!) with appropriately punny names. Indeed, I have witnessed western guys with complicated love lives for quite some time. I've known quite a few guys who've juggled multiple relationships at the same time. Some were even married. They seem to view themselves as desirable, occidental Right Said Freds (too sexy) in t...

Old Hand Answers Hate Mail... or Expat Robinson Crusoe Theory Confirmed Phone Ninja is going to express her dissatisfaction on the Internet Anyone who has spent any amount of time in Taiwan expat online spheres knows that it contains a real mixed bag of characters. Some are nice, helpful people. Others are mostly neutral. Still others put their mental issues on display for all to see. You know you've stirred up the snowflakes in the latter category when you start receiving 'triggered' responses in the comments. Of course, in the Taiwan expat world, those responses are also going to be colored by the delusions and generalized weirdness that only comes from our unique "community." Without further ado, I'll post some excerpts from love letters I received from those special individuals (actually, they are often from one particularly troubled soul) who thought my descriptions of expat Robinson Crusoe types were perhaps a little too close to home. Link fo...