(Firstly my transition to Taiwan and how I got here) then What it is like to teach at a cram school in Taipei..

As many of you are probably curious to my current experience I will thus relay some information.

So.. You want to know perhaps what it is like to teach at a buxiban (cram school) in Taiwan, specifically Taipei?

Even if you don't hopefully you will find some interest in this article anyway ;)

So I have been in Taiwan about 4 months now.

My story is I always knew that I wanted to teach English in asia at some point. Ideally Japan, Korea, or not China.

And as I made my way to this eastern hemisphere I had the same notion.
To teach English somewhere NE, Complete a Working Holiday in Australia (yet to do), and travel around somewhat aimlessly to discover the land and the people of Asia.

So far I have only discovered a bit of Bali, Indonesia, briefly western Malaysia, Borneo Malaysia, and Luzon Philippines.

My accidental life in Taiwan happened due to wanting to spend Christmas in a celebrating country. So for asia that limits the choices to the Philippines. I had a flight already to Thailand that I missed due to not wanting to spend Christmas there. So I cut my loses and extended my Philippines visa another month to enjoy (which I did and can write about in another blog if wishes) Christmas in this very festive country!

So of course I was lacking money from missing my flight (which I never do, but Christmas meant that much to me oddly enough). And I noticed the cheapest flight from Manila is to Taiwan.

I thought.. hm I have like one friend there from college in Oklahoma. I know it will be more cold and expensive, but let's use couchsurfing and do it. See if we can experience Chinese New Year and make a trip around the island by bike (also a goal) or an English teaching job or two.

I knew basically nothing about Taiwan or Chinese New Year but am used to jumping into the pot and when the water is boiling you learn quickly.

I expected Chinese New Year to be a showy festive holiday.

Then the reality of how 'boring'(different) this culture can be compared to it's expressive loud Catholic neighbor. So basically for CNY there isn't the assumed dragon parades everywhere and parties in the street. Instead it is quite the opposite. Everyone leaves the city to do their family obligations and goes indoors.

If you don't have an invite this can feel terribly boring as everything closes for a bit and there isn't much of an open festivity that I am used to. But I was lucky enough to get invited to a CNY celebration near Taichung from a friendly Taiwanese pharmacist business man and a friend of a friend from North Carolina.

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