In my previous post, I mentioned a collaboration with a local art studio - and last weekend, I was invited again. This time, instead of posing for a pastel artwork (which, to be honest, wasn’t really my thing), I got to do something much more enjoyable: baking!
The studio hosted a small event that included a short talk about the history of art. Unfortunately, it was all in Chinese, so I didn’t understand much. My husband listened for a while and said it was great - very clear and well explained. While that was happening, I was slicing the cakes. I made several cakes and cookies, which were then shared with the attendees, along with some drinks. It was a lovely way to introduce more people to my desserts, especially since advertising has been such a struggle.
Seriously, all the local Facebook groups are so strang - they don’t allow any self-promotion or business posts, yet they’re constantly flooded with apartment listings. Half of them are just reposts of the same buildings over and over again.
Speaking of apartments… it’s been just over a month since we moved into our new place, and problems keep piling up. And it’s not just us - everyone seems to be having issues. We joined the community chat group, and honestly, there are complaints almost every day.
There were several incidents of leaking pipes recently - and not just fresh water leaks. One day, we went to the scooter parking area and were hit with a truly awful smell. Turned out, the leaking pipe was connected to the toilets… You can imagine how lovely that was.
As for us, we’ve had a few strange things happen too. Just this past Sunday, the water in our kitchen sink stopped draining. At first it was slow, then it completely stopped. We tried flushing it a few times but nothing worked. The plumber came the next day, checked both the sink pipe and the one under the floor - no clog. Nothing. And yet, suddenly the water started draining faster than we’d ever seen. It was like magic. Luckily, we had a video of the sink being blocked or else no one would’ve believed us.
The plumber said it could have been caused by recent rain messing with the underground pipes, but honestly - it was just weird.
Others in the building have it even worse. One resident said their window was stolen by the builders. Yes, stolen! And many apartments already have cracked walls - huge cracks, despite this being a brand new building. Most units are still empty, too. On our floor, we’ve only met one neighbor, and they haven’t even moved in yet - they’re still doing renovations. The other five units are completely quiet. The floor above us is totally empty as well.
At first, the landlord thought that we had clogged the sink and claimed everything was working well before. But they don’t live here and don’t actually do the dishes - they just flushed some water through and said it was fine.
After asking in the group chat, a few other people said they also have drainage issues and even leaks in the last few days. They all mentioned that the builders don’t care at all, so everyone has been fixing things on their own.
It was the same with the lack of electricity in the kitchen - we had to ask the landlord to find someone to fix it because the builders simply refuse to take responsibility for anything, even though they definitely should.
How do we know? Well, one night we heard loud banging noises from late afternoon well past 10 PM. My husband posted a message in the chat group, but no one replied. So he went upstairs to see where the noise was coming from - and it turned out to be two floors above us. That’s when we realized just how bad the noise insulation is. Not only can we hear people from above, but we can also hear our neighbors across in the next building! It’s about five meters away, yet we can hear when they shower, talk, even when they do laundry. Which makes us wonder… they probably hear us too. A bit unsettling, to be honest.
So yes—new house, new problems. But at least I have my cakes, and I'm grateful for opportunities like the art event to share them with more people. It’s small steps, but they feel meaningful.
Anyway, one more thing to add - soon we might be losing another friend. People always seem to be moving out of Taiwan. Originally, this couple we know planned for the wife to go to the UK for a year while her husband moved to Kaohsiung. But when we met them recently, they surprised us with completely different news: his company is transferring him to the U.S., so now they’re both planning to move there. No idea when exactly, as visas and paperwork take time, but yes - another friends are leaving.
Over the past eight years, nearly all of the people we’ve gotten close to here have already left. There’s only one couple we know who’s still in Taiwan (but 250km away...). The rest? Gone!
Honestly, it's not surprising. Taiwan may look appealing from the outside, but living here long-term isn’t always easy - especially when you think about housing prices and the relatively low salaries (unless you’re an engineer… and even then, not all engineers earn a fortune). The gap between the rich and poor is definitely growing, and that reality is hard to ignore.
And the second most common thing people complain about is, of course, the traffic. Just in the past few days, there have been cases of elderly drivers causing accidents - some resulting in injuries or even deaths. But honestly, it’s not really about age, because you see bad drivers of all ages: running red lights, speeding, riding scooters with kids who have no helmets, and so on.
