Third week of hospital check-ups… My hearing is back, but it’s still not fully normal. At least I can hear what people are saying now, unlike those few days when even face-to-face, I sometimes couldn't understand anything. Though I still hear ringing in my ears, which may take weeks or even months to go away. 😅
Why does it take so long to go back to normal? I’ve been sick almost all of March, and honestly, this month has been a mess in so many ways.
I applied for my APRC but haven’t received it yet, and last weekend (less than two weeks after applying) we got informed that the apartment we’re renting will put up for sale. I really thought we could finally stay somewhere longer (which we mentioned when renting), but here we go again! Moving every 1–2 years is exhausting... 🤬
We've been living in Toufen for three years, and this will be the third time moving!! And if nothing happens - like my husband getting fired, being sent to a different city, or changing jobs - there are still five more years for Adrian to finish elementary school here. No need to traumatize him by making him change schools and classmates.
I’ve been at the immigration office so many times (yearly if not more) recently just to extend my ARC for a year and then for the APRC application... And when my husband finally had time to go - after months of overtime work and barely being home - it turns out I might have to go back again soon after receiving it, just to update my address. Do I still need his signature for that?! Feels like there’s so little a foreigner can do alone. 🤦♀️
This whole situation has put me in a bad mood all month. Moving during the school year is extra annoying, and renting here comes with its own set of headaches. If you rent in Taiwan, maybe you’ve faced similar issues - landlords almost never pay taxes, so they don’t want anything official that proves someone lives there. But without a household registration, I can’t get an ARC/APRC, and a child can’t go to school.
With the recent surge in news about house prices dropping, everyone is rushing to sell. At least there are many rental options, though I do like the community we’re living in now.
The housing market in Taiwan is ridiculous... Even places in bad condition are treated like luxury, and sales tactics often feel like scams. We looked into buying before, but that was another nightmare. Salespeople seriously hide things from you and try to brainwash you into buying - especially the worst properties of all! Everything seems to revolve around money, and at the end of the day, you can't trust anyone. 🤡
After doing some reserch... The price-to-income ratio is worsening nationwide, making homeownership increasingly difficult, especially for young people. Taipei is one of the least affordable cities, where buying a home costs nearly 16-17 years of an average salary (45000NT-50000NT), while the national average is 9-11 years. That’s assuming you don’t spend your money on anything else but the house... 😱
Let's say if you invest 25% of your income each year to buy a home in Taipei, it would take you about 64-68 years to afford one. The national average is about 40 years! Can you really guarantee that you’ll be able to maintain your income for that long?
According to recent data In Taiwan, around 6.6% of people own three or more properties, and about 0.3% own ten or more. The wealthiest individuals average 4.3 properties, which is well above the global average of 2.9. This highlights a significant concentration of property ownership among a small, wealthy group. 🤑
Taiwan always try to promote itself as a great place to live, but... If you always hear people speaking only positively about Taiwan, it’s usually because they’ve only traveled here for a short time or they’re single, often YouTubers who, at some point, made government-sponsored videos. That says a lot. In reality, you’ll find plenty of people complaining, many who have moved out, and others just waiting for the chance to leave, both foreigners and Taiwanese.
Actually, according to surveys that gather data on mental health, the depression rate in Taiwan is around 25% and has been steadily increasing over the past 10 years - just like housing prices, I guess. The suicide rate in Taiwan is also 20% higher than the global average!
News about suicides is often silenced because investors fear it could drive property prices down. 😨
When we lived in another place for just a year, there were three suicide cases in that area (not exactly something you want to witness firsthand...). And even nowadays, there are many more people who have attempted but weren’t successful, yet everyone is expected to stay quiet about it.
While many university students who participated in surveys admitted to being depressed, a large number of people cited housing prices and financial struggles as major reasons for their distress.
There’s still a strong stigma around seeking mental health support.
Is Taiwan a good place to live? Well, not if you're raising a family. If you don’t have a place of your own, you don’t have stability. And even if you do own one, remember that it’s tied to a huge loan, so if you lose your job or something unexpected happens… well, better not to think about that.
No surprise that people nowadays don’t want to get married and especially don’t want kids. Just look at the number of cats and dogs - it speaks for itself. But... Why it feels like only the wealthy who own homes can afford to have pets, because after looking through thousands of rental listings, maybe 0.000001% actually allow them!
Even before, I didn’t get much sleep, usually less than six hours... but recently I’m even having trouble falling asleep...
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