Now, I know what some of you may be wondering. What was I doing in the middle of New Taipei City , Taiwan, for a full year? Well, I was participating in the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship program. More thoughts on that will come later, but that is not what this post is about. This post is about being a Black woman in Taiwan and how it has impacted me.
My Job:
I taught elementary school students in 1st through 6th grade, and I learned two things. First, I learned that I love teaching in any capacity. The second thing I learned is that it is important to be okay with being uncomfortable, because it leads to so much growth. One thing that surprised me at the beginning of my journey is that I knew way less about children than I thought I did, which is funny because I spent most of undergrad working directly with students. But it is one thing to be in the classroom for a few hours versus being the teacher who needs to communicate and manage at the same time. Second, the staff at my school was so welcoming and sweet, and I will be forever grateful that I got to experience such an inclusive and welcoming space. I never felt uncomfortable, and they always attempted to be culturally sensitive and were respectful with their questions.
Traveling in Taiwan
Traveling in Taiwan was incredible. As you have probably noticed, I like to share the challenges as well as the positives, so here are a few things to keep in mind, especially if you are a Black woman or a person of color traveling. First, most people do, in fact, mind their business. Yes, the stories online of people asking for photos or asking crazy questions definitely happen, and I experienced it quite a few times, but my day-to-day life was very content, and all the cities I visited were very kind to me. These cities include Yilan, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan, and Chiayi. Each city offers something different and will blow your mind with the yummy food and beautiful sights. Additionally, transportation is so easy to navigate and most buses and trains also have English so it is very difficult to get lost. In fact, as someone who comes from a city with terrible public transport, I found it very easy to learn the bus and train system ( I’ll explain the nuances in a different post!)
If you are worried about the language barrier, rest assured you can actually navigate Taiwan with fairly limited Mandarin. Although I can speak enough Mandarin to get by, that is, order food, the occasional doctor’s appointment, and museums, I did not have a problem navigating even when my skills failed me. The most important thing for me to do in this case was to pull out my handy Google Translate or point to what I needed. It takes patience, but eventually you get what you need, and everyone is satisfied. On the topic of language, as a final note, learning a few words goes such a long way. I cannot tell you how many times saying 谢谢 (thank you) made locals more comfortable. Sounding crazy is okay, just be a normal person, that is, attempting to be culturally responsive, and try your best.
The Food
Taiwan is one of the best food destinations you can experience because it is incredibly cheap and so delicious. Eating 卤肉饭 for three dollars is something every person should experience. That being said, I did not enjoy everything, and that is okay. As an American ( and a southerner) , my taste buds are unfortunately wired for tons of sugar and salt, and though Taiwan has the salt part down, the sugar was lacking. So if you are looking for the best cookie in a place like Taiwan, you are in the wrong place. However, if you are looking for the most moist and balanced desserts and two dollar boba to wash it down, Taiwan is the place for you. Again, in regard to going to different restaurants as a Black woman, I felt I was left to my own accord and was not treated any differently than other patrons. The scariest part, honestly, was the chance of seeing my own students while out eating (haha)!
The Medical System
I cannot speak for others, but for me, the medical system in Taiwan was the most complicated aspect to navigate. For starters, getting a doctor’s appointment often means going to the hospital, and in contrast to transportation, almost nothing is in English besides a few signs. Beyond the language barrier being more drastic in health settings, I also found this area to be where cultural differences were most noticeable.
As someone who was hospitalized three times, went to the dentist three times, and had other check-ups outside of that, it was very hard to advocate for myself when I wanted to know what was being done or refused a treatment. In the US, the way agency and autonomy shows up is a bit different, whereas expectations for patients in Taiwan are different. I also experienced the most stares in this setting and even had a woman take a picture of me from her hospital bed, which was quite rude and peeved me to no end as I was sick with a fever and alone as a 20-something year old.
Thankfully, my co-teachers came to save the day the next morning and were so sweet, advocating for me. I also did not return to the hospital alone after the first time and opted instead to take my co-teacher with me.
Despite these strange experiences, I learned a lot about adapting my agency to different cultural contexts and quickly learned the Mandarin terms to understand what was being done to me. The cost was also very inexpensive, as my most expensive hospital visit was only a whopping $50, including medication and an emergency overnight stay. So if you think about the pros and cons, despite some discomfort, the pros outweigh the cons for me.
So what’s my verdict?
If you are someone who is nervous about navigating a country where you may not see a lot of people who look like you, that is okay. I would tell you to go. I will not lie and say you will not get the occasional stare or an excited local who wants to learn more about you, but I can say that none of it is done with malicious intent, and it is very rare that you will experience major discomfort. I spent the year learning so much about what it means to be intentional about teaching the cultural parts of my identity and also helping students make distinctions about how I differ from other Americans. This was the toughest part by far. It is one thing for your students to be curious, and it is another to tackle questions that are loaded with potentially harmful implications. Despite questions about my hair, my accent, or even why I am Black, I enjoyed that my students trusted me enough to ask those questions, and all of them are so incredible and will go out and change the world. Taiwan is a magical place and it would be in anyone’s best interest to take the leap!
As always, I hope you enjoyed learning about my experience in Taiwan. There is more to come on my thoughts on the Fulbright program and trips you can take in Taiwan, so stay tuned and stay whimsy.
-Bri
