by Pauline Hammer | Mar 17, 2019 | Expat life, Finding our way, Learning Chinese, Life in Taipei
So you’re coming to Taiwan! Visiting? Moving here? Either way, you’re in for a great time! But here’s 10 things you might want to do before you come… 1. Learn a few Basic Chinese words & phrases. These are the five we suggest. 1....
by Pauline Hammer | Apr 8, 2018 | Expat life, Learning Chinese
I have cousins who lived in Taiwan just ten years ago and I often think about how different their experience was from mine. Back when there wasn’t google maps. Before cell phones could double as an English-Mandarin dictionary, vegetarian restaurant suggester and...
by Pauline Hammer | Jan 28, 2018 | Learning Chinese, Life in Taipei
Did you pass your first year as an Expat in Taipei? Test yourself to find out! Directions: Give yourself 1 point for each of the following you did or that was true of you at any time during your first year in Taipei, Taiwan. (If you expatted elsewhere in Taiwan, just...
by Pauline Hammer | May 25, 2017 | Expat life, Learning Chinese
Josh and I have already been in Taiwan for over 10 months! I admit I hoped we’d be speaking more Mandarin by now. But, I did manage a small conversation with a new coworker today! It was a super basic conversation… Are you married? (which I said...
by Pauline Hammer | Mar 1, 2017 | Learning Chinese
A few months before moving to Taiwan, Josh and I started attempting to learn Chinese via podcasts, apps, and online resources. And let me just say, I am SOO grateful for every little word and phrase we picked up before arriving!’ But it was frustrating at...