Personal Experience

4.1 CULTURE SHOCKS OF TAIWAN

4.1.1 PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Before jumping in to discuss the culture shocks of the 2010 and Spring 2011 CIEE students, it is necessary to recount the time when I was a CIEE student in 2007 Taiwan and the effects of culture shocks I had experienced. Having been raised in an Asian family as well as growing up in an American society, I was exposed to multiculturalism at an early age. Therefore, a few Taiwanese customs seemed familiar and not peculiar until I studied abroad in Taiwan and experienced unexpected encounterance as well as cultural

misunderstandings. Having immigrated to the States at the early age of seven, I had long forgotten what it felt like residing in my place of birth. My return to Taiwan and the thought of living there for a longer period of time created a sense of nostalgic sentiment that surfaced along with enthusiasm. Previous glimpse of blissful memories from

childhood unquestionably made me felt as if I was returning to a place I really belonged to.

I was convinced that it would be of no difficulty to integrate into the Taiwanese social groups and finally converse with the younger generation about recent Taiwanese dramas, singers and general topics. All the same, I was eager to settle into the city I used to live in for seven years.

This excitement was then encountered with surprises as I entered the life of a university student in Taiwan. The narrow hallway, public showering stalls and restrooms occupied with a majority of squatting toilets seemed somewhat peculiar and uncomfortable.

Even so, I entered my dormitory with better expectation. Disappointingly, the room not only felt confining, but the metal beds and unsupplied mattress seemed as if I was living in a downgraded motel. The tight, confined area barely allowed any walking space and the closed out dark room certainly created an aura of gloomy ambiance. As a result, my first impression of Taiwan university life was one that was depressing, obsolete and most of all,

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it was different. Furthermore, it was noticeable that Taiwanese college boys and girls seemed much too concern about their attire when attending lectures and going to school.

The greater part of the college students in Taiwan embellish themselves as if they were going on a date or preparing for a party. It was quite apparent that most Taiwanese students doll up when attending school; in contrast, Americans students typically wear casual apparels, even pajamas to class. In other words, students in the United States care less about their outfits when attending classes in a university, while students in Taiwan express the importance of clothing as an act of respect to professors and to each other.

Coming upon various cultural American and Taiwanese differences as well as surprises that I never had thought I would experience, I eventually became hesitant about being able to become accustomed to the means of Taiwanese lifestyle. These anxieties involved confusion on carrying out the appropriate manners in a given situation, dubiousness of my own ability to blend in with the social norm and incapability of

effectively performing habitual routines. I became self-conscious on the form of clothing I was supposed to put on in given circumstances and pondered endlessly on the idea of

“acceptable clothing” for going to class and such. Likewise, I eventually realized that the younger generation of the Taiwanese was heavily influenced by the Japanese culture and fashion, hence, our mutual subject for conversation detoured. Therefore, it was not only difficulty to find interesting topics we all shared; it was also sometimes awkward when we encountered different senses of humor.

Unexpectedly, I was truly not accustomed to taking out the trash every once in awhile when the music of “Fur Elise” was played. Taking out the trash to a large garbage container whenever I had the time felt more convenient than to have to wait for the garbage truck to arrive on certain times. I recognized that Taiwanese people are friendly and

welcoming, but I still felt as if I was detached from the world I once thought I was familiar with. Although the distress I experienced did not intensely disturb my attempt to assimilate

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with the Taiwanese, I have had stumbled upon similar troubles as American students who had no Chinese background whatsoever. This produced a sensation of not really knowing what to do in this different environment and being puzzled on the uncertainty of what is appropriate or inappropriate.

Fortunately, time changed everything; the longer I stayed in the country the more I accepted the differences in practice, and at the same time learned to live with it on my own terms. After living a few weeks in the dorms, I quickly got familiarized with the squatting toilets and actually found it more convenient to use them compared to the sitting toilet.

Strangely, I didn‟t find the restroom to be fetid-smelling anymore and the regular showering in the small stalls with tarnished doors was no longer a problem for me.

Becoming familiarized with the living style and environment of the university dorms allowed me to realize that the living situation is, in reality, not at all terrible. I came to appreciate my living conditions in Taiwan and understood that there are worse situations than the ones I was in. I also began to see things on a wider prospect as well as

acknowledge that it is only because of the cultural distinctions that caused my

misapprehension. I no longer worried about the appropriate attire for clothing and simply dressed as how I felt was appropriate. With time, blending into the social model of

Taiwanese/Japanese fashion was of no problem. Likewise, finding similar issues to discuss with the Taiwanese was also no longer an issue as I made a breakthrough by placing myself inside Taiwanese peoples‟ shoes and empathizing with their different ways of thinking. As a result, I found that it was much easier to intermingle with the community as long as we shared similar knowledge and understanding. Although at times, the American side of me emerges, I see it as a way of expressing my individuality and uniqueness, not a way of separating myself as an outsider.

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In order to talk about Taiwanese values and beliefs, it is imperative to first bring up the most influential religion in Taiwan. Although Taiwan respects other faiths and has a variety of religions including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Mormonism, and etc, the practices of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are the most prevalent. For that reason, values and ethics of the people of Taiwan are based on the teachings of a Chinese moral and social philosopher: Confucius. Therefore, it is easy to see the values and ethics of the people of Taiwan by just observing the everyday life of peoples‟ daily routines.

Many CIEE students noticed the values and ethics of Confucian ideals when they utilize public transportation, such as the public buses and Taipei‟s Metropolitan Rapid Transit. They were aware that yielding seats to elders is common and ordinary, which demonstrates the instilled Confucian values of respecting the elders as part of the very foundation of being a “gentlemen.” Moreover, it is also apparent that Taiwan is surrounded by small to large religious Buddhist, Taoism and even Confucian shrines and temples. One Spring 2010 student stated, “Almost everywhere we go, we either see a shrine or a temple, they are everywhere!” Students‟ acknowledgment of numerous temples and shrines in Taiwan does not necessary convey their shock toward another culture; instead it demonstrates their awareness of the cultural differences.

Some students also found it fascinating to see the practice of praying with incense sticks, as well as witnessing people burning a special form of paper money burnt as an after-life ancestral offering. Besides finding temples interesting, religious beliefs, or sometimes defined as “superstitions” that followed by religious rituals, were also

something that the CIEE students were aware of. Another female CIEE student described,

“I think for the living to send dead ancestor money in the afterworld is interesting. It explains how superstitious Taiwanese are about life after death, but I think it also shows how much the living still respects the dead.” Although hell notes may appear as