Finally, the TV show we participated in was released on April 18th on three different channels. It was a short version, about 2 minutes long. Another longer version, about 11 minutes, will be released on May 1st and will be repeated weekly.
On the day the video was released, we received some page likes and messages. Since my husband was still in military training and couldn't use his phone, I managed to answer everything on my own. My husband doesn't usually help with messages unless there's something I really can't understand. We have a system and ready messages, so I only need to fill in details like cake flavors, date, and amount. We also use Excel to organize our orders, and it works well. When we first moved to Shanhua three years ago and suddenly got many orders, we weren't very organized 😂 But after gaining three years of experience, there's no amount of orders that scares me... unless it's too much for me to bake in a day. But the orders aren't usually that big.
Taiwan is very convenient because I often deliver cakes. I can simply walk to the nearest 7-11 or inform the delivery driver to come to our home. But if it's not a big order, I prefer to just walk to the convenience store and be free. Since I never know when the driver will arrive, I can't leave the house, especially when I have a child who loves to play outside.
Unfortunately, it's been a week since notifications from our Facebook page stopped showing on my phone. I can't fix it, and reporting the problem to Facebook seems useless... Why did it have to break during such a busy time? I'm unable to check messages all the time, but people who come to pick up cakes often send messages instead of using the door phone when they arrive.
In a few days, we will be going to a high school in Tainan to give a speech. I feel so nervous. I don't like speaking in front of people. Last time it was easier because it was mostly in Chinese, so my husband did most of it, except for a part in Polish. But this time, the speech needs to be 30-50% in English, so... I hope I'll be able to say anything at all. I felt nervous for the TV show as well, but after all, there were only two people in front of me and a camera, not 50 students.
This is my second time opening a bank account in Taiwan, this time at CTBC Bank (中國信託). It took forever, but the overall experience was better than Bank SinoPac. My husband called them to ask what we needed to bring, and they said we needed our Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), passport, and stamp (although it can be done without the stamp). However, they still checked the health insurance card later. They also wanted my husband's ID card (the back of the card has the wife's name written on it) just to prove that we are married. I always wonder why that matters.
They told my husband to book an appointment online to make the process faster. However, online booking doesn't allow foreigners to do it, and the ARC number didn't work. But my husband used his ID number instead, so if you have a husband, it's better to do it this way instead of going to the bank and waiting in line. After booking online, you have 7 days to go there, so it doesn't have to be the same day. We still went there as they said we could still open a bank account, even though their closing time is 3:30 PM (after this time, they only open for bank account services).
The whole process took about an hour. It was much simpler than SinoPac Bank, with fewer questions to answer and less paperwork to fill out. Plus, the information could be filled in English, not just Chinese! That's a big plus, as there's less translating for my husband to do. If you're going alone, there's also someone who speaks English and can help you with everything (at least at the bank in Yongkang, Tainan). The stamp is needed if you want to allow other people to withdraw money from your bank account. Otherwise, you can only do it yourself using your signature without a stamp. This bank can also help you open a stock account if you're interested, so you can have a 3-in-1 account for local currency, foreign currency, and stocks. They also helped us set up the online app and guided us through every step, so everything went smoothly. However, activating the stock account and applying for a credit card still need to be done separately. Overall, apart from the long waiting time to finalize the process, everything went smoothly. The staff provided great service, and the accountant was patient. I know it depends on the people and not just the banks, but I would recommend opening a bank account at CTBC over SinoPac.
I actually don't know how it is with banks here, as I've heard complaints from many foreigners who were refused to open a bank account, for example, because they didn't have a job. It was one of the questions for me as well. However, a bank is for keeping money, and even if you don't have an official job but someone will send you money, you still need an account. For the four years I've been living in Taiwan, I didn't have a bank account either. I was using my husband's credit cards. But it became more and more annoying when people transferred money to buy cakes, and I always had to ask my husband to check it. However, he has a job and often cannot use his phone for a whole day. Currently, it seems possible for me to apply for a credit card after having 200,000 NTD in my bank account.
Also, be careful where you park your scooter, even in places where everyone else parks. You can get a penalty. Oops, we got one for parking under the bank. Why, though? There was no other place to park, and there were already plenty of scooters there. Plus, there were no signs indicating that parking was forbidden. People always park on sidewalks or on the side of the road. If you've been to Taiwan, you'll know that space is very limited here, so people don't have many choices. Speaking of the roads, I feel like many drivers here are not great. Sorry to say that, but it's true! Quite often, when we want to cross the road, some scooter drivers or cars, especially blue trucks, won't stop. We could be in the middle of the road, and a woman on her scooter wouldn't even slow down. I wish I could feel a little safer crossing the road when the light is green, but... I doubt that will ever happen in Taiwan.
My husband finished his one-week military recall. Luckily, it was quite short as I saw in the news that it's usually at least two weeks long. Depending on your job, some people don't actually need to go, for example, those working for TSMC. My husband went there on Saturday, so the weekend was a bit freer as there weren't many people yet. He also got to use his phone twice a day, for about an hour each time. It wasn't as good during weekdays, with only a couple of minutes available in a whole day. On Monday, a few hundred people joined, so the available time became much more limited, as whatever they did, they had to wait in line.
During the recall, they woke up at 5:30 AM, gathered outside for the flag-raising ceremony at 6, and then had breakfast. From 8 AM until lunchtime, they had to attend classes. They also had to walk 4-10 kilometers, with the distance getting longer each day. Depending on the military level, it could be even 20 kilometers or more. Although they are not soldiers and only went there to recall information, everything is made easier, so nobody gets hurt 😂 Besides walking, they practiced cleaning guns, shooting, and recalling their knowledge in case of war. After dinner, they had some time to use their phones if the schedule allowed it. The last class was from 8 to 9 PM, after which it was bedtime. Depending on the shift, some nights they also had to get up at midnight for patrol duty around the military campus.
He came back on Friday night and then disappeared on Saturday for his work in Hsinchu... Being married to an engineer is sometimes hard, as I often have to stay alone at home. It's been already two months, but everything is delayed, so there are still a couple of weeks to go. I miss traveling; we rarely go anywhere for more than 3-4 hours. I already miss Taidong; it's been two years since we went there. Although thinking about passing through the mountains scares me a bit, especially after the numerous earthquakes this year. I've seen several videos of landslides and damaged cars, huge rocks falling. The thought of going to the east of Taiwan makes me both happy and worried at the same time. I hope there won't be any more lockdowns in Taiwan, though.
Lately, there have been more and more COVID-19 cases in Taiwan, and finally, the government has relaxed its strict rules a little. The daily cases have been over 10,000, but we don't need to scan QR codes or provide our names before entering public places, such as shops. That's a good change. The government wants people to download an app that will track their movements and notify them if they have come into contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19. I don't really want to download it, just like I don't feel like taking vaccines. But probably at some point in my life, I'll have no choice. Many places now require three vaccine shots; otherwise, you cannot freely go out of your home, for example, to the gym or bar. I miss the freedom and the life we used to have two years ago. Sorry, but I don't believe the vaccines are safe. They have only been used for the past two years. How can you guarantee that after 5, 10, or even 20 or more years, there will be no side effects? Yet, every government tries to play it safe by saying "we don't force you to take the vaccine," but if you don't have one, you cannot enter many places.
For the past three years, I've been cutting my husband's hair. However, he thought he wanted a change, and he thought cutting it would make it look better before the speech. Many people recommended a hairdresser, so he booked an appointment. He showed the hairdresser a picture of what he wanted. Oops... it turned out to be completely different. I was really angry when he came back home. In my opinion, he looked like an idiot. The haircut was not only much shorter than it was supposed to be, but also very uneven. After posting a comparison of the expectation and the actual haircut, many people laughed and joked about it. Some even said it looked like a 100 NTD haircut, but it actually cost almost 500 NTD.
I've been disappointed with hairdressers in Taiwan before. I wanted pink hair, but it turned out purple, and the color washed out after just a week. I thought about dyeing my hair on my own, but sadly, the hair colors I used to use in Poland aren't available here, and I'm not sure what I could buy. But it still wouldn't be easy without any help, especially since my hair is pretty long now. It would take forever to do it all by myself.
I try to ignore things, but sometimes people's behavior is just unacceptable. I can see a lack of education here so much. Parents don't correct their kids when they do something wrong. For example, my son was playing with a ball in the park, and another kid around the same age kept following him to take his ball away. The kid pulled it out of his hands and refused to return it. The kid's grandmother said absolutely nothing! It saddens me that people think it's okay, as they are just kids, and some will even tell you that it doesn't matter. When someone does something wrong, instead of hearing a "sorry," you will hear "it's okay" or "it doesn't matter," or the issue will be ignored.
My son took his ball and kept running away until he fell and cried. After that, the kid who had chased him took the ball happily to play with. Finally, the grandmother reacted, silently telling him that the ball wasn't his. Nevertheless, it was still me who left the park, feeling like I punished my son for the other kid's behavior. And it's not just kids who can be annoying. There is one grandma we often see in the park. We've been living here for three years, so we already know what to expect. When my son was smaller, she held his hand, saying she was going to take him home. Since then, he has tried to avoid her. Lately, she held his bike and started walking, saying she was going to take the bike home. She often touches our things as well. She took toys out of my son's bike, played with his car and ball. It's no surprise that kids don't respect things that don't belong to them when adults aren't any better.
I wish we won't need to wear masks soon. Sometimes I cannot recognize people, and it's so awkward! We went to the park, and there was nobody else playing around. Then out of nowhere, an older creepy guy stopped his car and followed us into the park, asking Adrian (I guess) to "come to uncle." We quickly walked away to another place. After a while, the guy got back into his car and picked up a child from kindergarten. After that, he still drove around the park calling us. I thought it was really creepy. Then, a few days later, we went to the park again, but this time my husband accompanied us. A guy started chatting with him and asked why I kept running away when he called us 😂 Oops... Sorry, sometimes I cannot recognize people when everyone is wearing a mask! It turned out to be an older guy who sells Taiwanese pancakes in town. We used to see him quite often until he changed the location of his business. I didn't do it on purpose, but he must think I'm strange for running away like that.
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