Adjusting to Life in Poland

The first night after arriving in Poland, I still followed my usual Taiwan schedule—midnight in Poland felt like 7 a.m. back home. Despite going to bed late, I woke up at 4 a.m. and couldn’t sleep anymore. Thankfully, it didn’t take long to adjust to the time difference, settling into a routine of sleeping from 11 p.m. or midnight to about 6 or 7 a.m.

We’ve been staying mostly at home, visiting family, and taking things slow. One of the highlights was visiting my uncle, who has some traditional treasures at home, like an old fireplace and a fully functional vintage kitchen. We even got to cook there! It was such a nostalgic experience, and to top it off, we built a snowman together, cherishing the last bits of snow before winter bids farewell. Even on the fourth day, there was still some leftover snow, but the rainy and slippery roads have kept us mostly indoors.

The weather has been quite gloomy—only one sunny day so far—but it’s still been a great experience. My uncle took us on a long walk to see the river, hoping to spot wildlife like pheasants, hares, deer, or even a fox. Instead, we got an unexpected visitor—a cat! It turned out to be my cousin’s cat, now living at my aunt’s place, and seeing it made me so happy. There are quite a few animals around—a bunny and three dogs, also belonging to my cousin but staying here since she works and her kids are at school. She only kept one cat at home, though it’s not the friendliest—it hisses and scratches both people and other animals.
One of the most fun activities was sledding in the early morning, when it was -6°C. The crisp, windless weather made it feel much better than Taiwan’s damp winters. Speaking of Taiwan, I heard that Miaoli recently hit 1°C—unusually cold for Taiwan!

As the days pass, more family members invite us to visit, though they’re usually only free on weekends. We’re hoping to explore other places, like the salt mines, one of the world’s largest churches, or some castles. However, the icy roads and dark, short days make us a bit lazy—sunrise is at 8 a.m., and sunset is before 4 p.m., giving us only about eight hours of daylight. Adding to that, people here are used to sitting in the dark, even when it gets dark outside, they don’t turn on many lights indoors. It’s quite a different atmosphere!

Our son has been impressing everyone with his diligence. Despite being on vacation, he’s tackling his homework—25 pages of a mix of Chinese and math—without needing any reminders. He sits down at the table every morning or during the day and works on it himself. Everyone in the family is amazed, especially since homework has been mostly abolished for kids in Poland. The older children (10–14 years old) seem glued to their phones and rarely play outdoors anymore.

We hope the weather improves soon so we can venture out and explore more. For now, it’s been a cozy time reconnecting with family, sharing stories, and enjoying the slower pace of life here in Poland. 🌨️❄️

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Flying to Poland!

The day of the flight was still busy. Our son had an exam at school, but as soon as he finished, he came home, and we started packing. We had some extra space in our luggage since we barely packed any clothes, so after dinner, we even went shopping.

We left home on January 10th at 7:40 PM (close to 1 PM in Poland) and took a taxi to the airport. We arrived at 9 PM for a flight scheduled at 11:10 PM, but it didn’t take off until midnight.

The meal on the plane was just so-so. It was served at 1 AM—quite late for a meal—but since the next one wasn’t scheduled for another 12 hours, we had no choice but to eat it. The breakfast was better in my opinion, especially the Chinese dish. The kids received a gift of crayons and a coloring.

Our flight was entirely during the night and lasted around 16 hours. I have trouble sleeping, especially while sitting, so spending so long in that position wasn’t great for me. Luckily, there were some Korean movies available. I can’t remember the last time I watched something non-Korean, though usually, it’s dramas, not movies. But with no other choice, it was better than nothing.  

Our son, being small, was able to stretch out his legs on me and sleep for a bit. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long—after just five hours, he was wide awake again.  

We arrived in Germany at 8 AM (about 3 PM Taiwan time). The atmosphere didn’t feel very friendly. We were questioned extensively about the length of our stay and had to show our return tickets. The airport security checks were much more detailed compared to Taiwan, they even conducted body searches. The tone felt less polite, but perhaps I’ve just gotten used to Asian hospitality, and what’s normal in Europe feels unfamiliar to me now. 

The flight from Taiwan to Germany was about 16 hours, mostly during the night, so it was nice to finally see the view outside the window. Germany welcomed us with beautiful sunny weather. Despite the temperature being just 2°C, it felt much warmer than the 10°C back in Taiwan.

To transfer, we had to take the SkyTrain to another terminal and then a bus to the airplane. The next flight was scheduled for 10:30 AM but didn’t take off until 11 AM (6 PM in Taiwan on January 11th). Surprisingly, they didn’t announce any delays until boarding began.

I had checked the weather in Poland several times before the trip, and it didn’t seem like we would see winter—just cold and cloudy days. But to my surprise, snow began to fall early in the morning. My family messaged me about the snowfall and slippery roads, which sounded a bit scary since such conditions never happen in Taiwan. I’ve never driven on icy roads, but I have walked on them—and fallen—so I know how unfriendly they can be!

The flight provided buns and another small gift for the kids. My advice: choose the sweet buns over the savory ones, as they usually taste better—but that’s just my opinion, as not everyone enjoys sweets. 

The sweet version was filled with prunes, and that’s what all three of us chose. Since there were still leftover buns available, only the savory version filled with sauerkraut and mushrooms was left. I decided to take it anyway, knowing we wouldn’t be eating for several more hours. My husband and son didn’t like them, but I thought the flavor was still fine.

We arrived in Poland close to 1 PM (8 PM in Taiwan). From the sunny weather in Germany, we returned to gloomy Polish skies.

After collecting our luggage and picking up the rental car, it was nearly 3 PM when we were ready to leave the airport. It was a bit inconvenient to find car parking since it was a fair walk from the airport. We also took a wrong turn since we’re not familiar with the area. Instead of going up the bridge, we ended up going below and right back to the airport. Never mind, though—after a few turns, we were back on our route and took the highway, which was a fairly easy drive.

As we drove, the snow became heavier, and it got dark quickly since the sun sets before 4 PM.

We arrived at my father’s house around 5 PM (midnight in Taiwan), but we were actually staying at my aunt’s place. After a meal and an hour-long drive in poor road conditions, we finally reached our destination at 8 PM (3 AM in Taiwan on January 12th). 

The snowfall became heavy, and the roads turned slippery. We could only drive at 30–40 km/h instead of the 90 km/h speed limit on that road. Along the way, we saw a tow truck pulling a car, and two others stopped on both sides of the road. Another car behind them had slid off the road entirely. 

Slowly but surely, we arrived safely at my aunt’s place.

It was exhausting—so many hours of different modes of transportation and walking. I can’t sleep on airplanes, so I went two days without sleep. By the time I went to bed, it was already Jan 12th 7 AM Taiwan time (midnight in Poland). Strangely, despite the lack of sleep, I didn’t feel very tired.

This time, I experienced severe ear pain during both landings, which was terrible. Even after going to bed, one of my ears still couldn’t hear properly. I’m not sure if my body is still adjusting to Taiwan time, but I woke up at 4 AM after less than four hours of sleep.

It snowed the whole time, which was wonderful. However, the weather is expected to warm up to 6–7°C after the weekend, so goodbye snow—but at least we got to enjoy two days of winter fun!

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Discover the Dreamy Bald Cypress Secret Spot in Sanwan, Miaoli

Travel Date: 2025/01/04

Looking for a magical destination that’s perfect for fall and winter? The hidden gem of bald cypress trees in Sanwan, Miaoli, is a must-visit spot that has recently gained popularity! With free admission and breathtaking lakeside scenery, this place is ideal for photos.  

From November to January, the bald cypress trees in Sanwan transform into stunning shades of golden yellow and orange-red.  

If you drive, be mindful of the narrow road leading to the Bald Cypress Forest. It’s only wide enough for one car.  

You can park at the entrance of the alley and walk to reach the area. While the round trip takes about 30 to 40 minutes and can be a bit of a workout due to slopes, the scenic path makes it worthwhile.  

There is actually a parking area close to the trees, but it might take a while to drive there since the narrow road makes it difficult when encountering cars coming from the opposite direction. It’s a lot easier if you’re driving a scooter.

We also met a friendly cat! I saw people petting it, so we went over to pet it too. As a big cat lover, I just couldn’t pass by without giving it some attention!

For those who prefer convenience, private cars at the alley entrance offer shuttle rides for NT$50 per trip. This is especially helpful for families with elderly members or young children. 

While group tours are also available, tour buses can only stop at the main road, so you’ll still need to walk a little over 1 km to reach the destination.   

Don’t miss the small stop near the entrance, where you can find fresh local agricultural products for sale - perfect souvenirs to take home after admiring the beautiful bald cypress trees.  

There are over 200 bald cypress trees in this area. You can walk among the trees as well as go up the hills to see the area from elevated platforms. Since there weren’t many colorful trees left, we skipped going up and only walked the paths among the trees.

There are also many ducks of several different species swimming around the lake. One particular duck caught our attention because it had longer feathers on its head, it looked like it had a funny hairdo! 

The best viewing season is from November to January, but unfortunately, when we went there on January 4th, the trees are already almost bare. The scenery looked much better in the photos we saw just a few days ago. However, when we arrived, we learned that a cold front two days earlier caused the trees to turn a rusted orange overnight, making most of the leaves fall to the ground.  

So, if you’re planning to visit this January, you may only see empty trees by now. But don’t forget to come back at the end of this year for a better experience!  

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Why You Should Rethink Coming to Taiwan!

There was a time when I really liked this place. After all, Taiwan is super convenient, the nature is amazing, and people are friendly - at least, more people are friendly here than in other countries. It's also a very safe place, unless you leave your umbrella unattended, which is the number one item that gets stolen here 🤣. Of course, not as often, but things can get stolen in Taiwan, such as bikes, although it’s rare to hear about pickpockets like you would in other countries. 

To be honest, the number one danger here is the drivers, and when it comes to that, Taiwanese people don’t seem friendly at all! 

It really pisses me off when I want to cross the road, I have a green light, but so do the cars. One car after another, scooters, and whatever else - everyone passes and turns, giving me no chance to cross the road. On several occasions, I’ve had to wait until the light turned red again. What’s even sadder is that this often happens near schools, where there are many kids crossing the road. Only in the morning and at noon do the lights stay green for pedestrians, but even then, there are people who don't follow the rules and run the red light, straight into the kids. Luckily, nobody’s gotten hurt, but I’ve been scared several times when a scooter almost hit me while I was crossing. 

The lights aren’t fixed for pedestrians in the afternoon, so when I pick my son up from after-school classes, it’s even crazier. If it’s a rainy day, it’s even worse. I don’t know why, but I feel like drivers in cars get wetter than I do, and they make it even harder for me to cross the road. And the people who constantly park on pedestrian crossings - oh, so annoying. In the several years I’ve lived here, there’s been zero improvement. It’s as if getting a driver’s license here is too easy. You just pass the test, and you’re done - learning how to drive is a separate thing. This issue is now more noticeable abroad, as I’ve seen news about countries stopping agreements with Taiwan to just exchange licenses, meaning Taiwanese now have to take exams in those countries to be able to drive there.

Anyway, that’s not the biggest issue. More than the lack of empathy on the road, it’s the workaholic culture here! And bosses who force their employees to work until they drop, as the company is more important than anything else in their lives. 

Seriously, it’s been crazy recently. For quite a long time (about half a year), my husband has been working overtime. It started slowly, with him working longer hours sometimes, but not every day, as he still worked from home 1-2 days a week. However, in recent weeks, he hasn’t been at home at all and has been working overtime on a daily basis. Sometimes he gets back around 7 PM, but often it extends to 8 or 9 PM. Recently, it's even been later - 10PM to 11PM. To top it off, right after Christmas, his company told workers they would be working weekends and New Year! What kind of slavery is that - asking people to work 12 hours or more, 7 days a week? They soon changed it to 6 days after the first working weekend, because they realized it’s illegal to work for 7 days straight, but still, my husband gets up at 7 AM, gets home around 10 PM, and often still has to write reports or attend meetings (fun fact: the company doesn’t count meetings as overtime!). When he finally goes to sleep, it’s past midnight. No surprise that he’s been constantly sick lately, visiting doctors and taking pills. 

This is how we lost even weekends together. Our son barely sees him lately because he goes to school before my husband wakes up, and often when my husband comes home, our son is already in bed. I feel so fed up with Taiwan at this point. How can you even have a family here? There are so many people in their nearly 40s who are still single, and seeing news about how the government doesn’t know why fewer people are getting married and having children made me laugh. Of course, news like overtime working will be often hidden, or the numbers will be lowered. From my husband’s experience, workers are asked not to write overtime hours, even though they didn’t come home at normal hours! It’s all because of one company that controls the whole country, a company whose name everyone probably knows, so I don’t need to mention it. 

Of course, not every job is like this, but if you want a higher salary, this is mostly the case. To be honest, the lowest salary, which will be around 28,590 TWD after the New Year, is extremely little. The housing market is crazy; houses and rent are so expensive. For example, in our area, the rental cost for a 3-room apartment is 25,000–30,000 TWD a month. So how can people with the lowest salary afford a normal family life? And we are not living in a huge city, but one with 100000 residents. Unless both people work, maybe, but once they have kids, they still have to rely on grandparents to take care of them. I see this a lot. Kids barely get a chance to see their parents at home, which is really hard to think about. Many kids stays in afterschool classes until 8PM or even longer.

Well, at some point, it's better than my husband's previous job since he hasn’t been staying overnight at work, which happened before. In his previous job, there were several times when he’d come home after midnight or even in the early morning. Since they couldn’t use phones at work, he typically wouldn’t contact me. That changed when they got company phones, and at least then he could call me (if he had time to do so), which relieved me. I used to wait and worry at night, wondering if he was working late, had an accident, or something else had happened to him. For a long time, I had sleep issues because I’d get anxious if he wasn’t home by midnight and I couldn’t sleep. There were several times I woke up in the morning and got scared because he wasn’t in bed yet. Sometimes he’d return or he'd come home at night but be too tired to shower, so he’d sleep on the floor in the living room. What kind of quality of life is that in Taiwan? Probably many people's dogs have better places to sleep than the cold ground! 

Now it’s better since he at least has a phone, and I always call him to check in. He’s always home to sleep, but that’s it - except for sleeping and working, he doesn’t have time for anything else, he doesn't even eat dinners. At least we’ll be flying to Poland soon, so he’ll get a 3-week break. That brings up the question: will he get fired afterward since he’s taking time off during the busiest time? In his position, there’s only one other person besides him. But is that really his problem? To save on the budget, the company would rather exploit people than hire an extra person. At least he’s allowed to take time off because he informed his boss well in advance (October). Recently, though, another person asked for time off to travel during Lunar New Year, and the boss asked how much the trip would cost, saying the company would pay for it if he stayed and worked. What’s going on? People can’t even have a day off these days? Seriously, if you’re reading this and thinking of working in Taiwan, think twice! Maybe it’s fun at first, but sooner or later, you’ll experience the Taiwanese work culture...

That's how I’ve recently started to dislike many things about Taiwan... I don’t know why many people idealize this country. The funny thing is, most of them live in Taipei, so maybe that city is better than the rest of the island, or maybe the people there aren’t working as engineers. Well, English teachers’ lives are way better here, and since it’s typically foreigners who speak highly of Taiwan and not Taiwanese people themselves, that might explain it. Not to mention the many YouTubers who can list 100 good things about Taiwan, and when you watch the video until the end, you may notice that it’s a government-sponsored video. To be honest, those who don’t get support from the government will often tell a different story - one that’s not all about how great life is here.

Kids in Taiwan don’t have it any easier, as the amount of study is enormous - not to mention the homework they have to finish after school and the extra work during holidays. Yes, holidays are full of homework!  The kids have no life except for studying. In comparison, as of April 2024, Poland has banned homework for students in grades 1–3 and made homework optional for students in grades 4–8. The goal is to give children more time for hands-on learning, reading, and pursuing their passions, something that is lacking in Taiwan. 

Today is the first day of the new year. My husband came back home at 11 PM yesterday and almost at midnight today (11.47PM!). Due to that, I’m also sleep-deprived as I go to bed well after midnight and still have to be up by 6:20 AM at the latest to prepare our son for school.

It doesn’t feel like 2025 is off to a good start... 

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How to Approach the Santa Talk? Yet Another Christmas in Taiwan

My husband and I were actually thinking about the whole "Santa talk" before Christmas, but we ended up skipping it. One day, our son came home from school and asked directly if Santa was real or if it was really mommy and daddy leaving gifts at Christmas. Since he asked and seemed ready for the answer, I told him the truth: it’s us. I’ve heard stories about kids crying and feeling betrayed when they find out, but our son wasn’t upset at all. In fact, he was really happy and said, “Now you can buy me whatever I want!” 

He also mentioned that he felt suspicious last year because he got exactly what he asked for—a block toy set. Not only from us, but also from his grandparents and aunt, so he received three times what he wanted. What child wouldn’t be suspicious?

Unfortunately for him, he hasn't been behaving well lately, so he knows there won’t be any gifts from us this year. However, he still got presents from his grandparents and our friends, so he’s not completely gift-free. There’s even something cool I’d like to buy for him, but he really hasn’t been listening recently... 

Actually, some of the things he does at school might be considered normal in Poland, but here in Taiwan, my husband had to speak for two hours with his teacher over the phone! Although the teacher doesn’t think it’s a big issue, as she’s Christian and understands cultural differences, she feels that if our son is living in Taiwan, he should be more mindful of his behavior. After all, he’s only 6.5 years old and is expected to sit down for most of the day, not to mention the amount of work they have to do at school, plus homework. There’s very little time for him to burn off energy, especially since the sun sets after 5 PM. So, by the time I pick him up from school, it’s already dark. But when the weather isn’t too windy or cold, we still go to the park after school.

This year, Christmas doesn’t feel festive at all. My husband has been working overtime constantly, so we won’t be having a Christmas dinner. I’m not really willing to eat at 9 PM or later when he finally comes home. Probably the only thing that feels like Christmas is the tree we decorated, but aside from that, there’s nothing that reminds me of the season. Sometimes, it feels a little sad, especially since I’ve seen photos of my schoolmates with beautiful homes, pretty Christmas trees, and family dinners, while I spent the holiday alone - my husband working and my son at school.

Our community organized a visit from Santa this year, with better gifts than before. The kids received balloons, Santa hats, and candies. Our son also got a little block toy Christmas tree from our landlords, but it was me who had to build it because he doesn’t have the patience to do it. The blocks were tiny - so small that I felt like my fingers were too big to hold them!

Christmas passed by quickly and almost unnoticed. Sometimes I wonder if I want to celebrate Christmas the way we used to in Poland, or if I should just treat it as a normal day. Actually, my husband and my son have only had a real Christmas in Poland once, about six years ago. Since school started, it’s been even harder to go back to Poland during the holiday season. Originally, we planned to go in the summer, but because of my husband’s work, we kept pushing it further into the future. However, we’ve finally bought tickets for mid-January, so we’ll be flying soon. Maybe not the best timing, since it’s winter, and I don’t think Taiwanese clothes are warm enough for extreme cold. Even though we bought one of the more expensive jackets from Decathlon, which claimed to be snow-proof and good for temperatures as low as -5°C, I’m still worried. Hopefully, it will be a mild winter. If it drops to -20 or -30°C, it won’t be much fun unless we stay indoors - but that sounds boring. We hope to get out and visit some places as well, especially since my son hasn’t seen much of Poland yet.

I’ll be updating the trip on my blog and YouTube channel, but it will take some time to edit. I don’t think I’ll be able to edit while in Poland, especially since I get shy recording voiceovers, even at home when my husband is the only one around. He always checks my videos before they’re published, so it’s not like he doesn’t know about them, but I still feel awkward. 

To add to that, recently there have been so many troubles with airplanes. After I saw the news about the Korean airplane crash where 179 people died, I’ve become even more scared to fly. I wasn’t a fan of airplanes before, and that incident only added to my fear...

Anyway, have a wonderful New Year, everyone!

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Our Weekend Family Activities

This time, we found ourselves back in Yunlin thanks to some free tickets we received for a baking class. Since we had two, my husband and I went together. The class was held in Douliu, so we headed there from Huwei in the morning. 

The baking class we attended focused on making a taro roll and lasted about two hours. After watching the process, we got to sample a slice of the freshly baked cake. I felt like I might have been the only one with baking experience - many participants asked basic questions, which made me wonder if fewer Taiwanese people bake at home since street food is so readily available. Perhaps, like us, some people attended simply because of the free vouchers.

After the class, we decided to explore some local foods we had seen in a YouTube video. One dish was squid mouth soup - not my cup of tea! I just wanted to see it in person, while my husband was brave enough to taste it. On the other hand, the rou zao fan (minced pork rice) was quite good and more to my taste.

Given the chilly weather, we craved something warm for dessert. We ordered a sweet soup filled with red beans, mung beans, barley, jelly noodles, and tangyuan (glutinous rice balls). It was my first time trying this combination, and to my surprise, I liked it! In the past, I couldn’t stand beans in desserts, but I’ve grown to appreciate them. We also enjoyed some boiled mochi, which was delicious.

On our way back, we passed through Douliu Old Street, where hundreds or maybe even thousands of lanterns lit up the night. This year, the lantern designs were different from previous years, giving the street a fresh look. 

After lunch, we returned to pick up our son and drove back for his DIY gingerbread house activity.

The gingerbread house kit included cookies, icing sugar, and decorations - both edible ones like candies and non-edible ones like a little Christmas tree and a Santa Claus figurine. The atmosphere was lively and filled with excited kids. A little girl in front of us seemed more interested in munching on her cookie than decorating it, but she was much younger than our son, so she probably didn’t quite understand the task.

These DIY gingerbread house activities and various baking classes are held every Saturday and Sunday, at least for this year, each time with different designs and courses.

The weather was a chilly 8°C that day, but it was even colder back at home in Toufen, where it dropped to 5°C! Taiwan’s cold can feel much harsher than Poland’s because there are no heaters, making winter feel especially miserable. Although the cold season here is short, I’m sure many people welcome it after enduring the intense summer heat.

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