Two Worlds of School: Poland vs Taiwan (From a Parent’s Perspective)

I would want to say “Happy Summer Holidays”… but “holidays” and Taiwan in one sentence don’t really seem to exist 😅

Why? Let me tell you…

My son has just finished second grade in Taiwan, and every year I find myself comparing his school life with what I remember from growing up in Poland. The differences still surprise me, sometimes even shock me.

My own elementary school schedule was usually 8:00–12:25, and even in high school it was typically 8:00–14:10. On some days we even finished at 12:30. There was still time left in the day to simply be a kid outside of school.

We also had two proper meal breaks. Around 9:30–9:45 there was what we called a “second breakfast,” and later a lunch break from 13:10–13:30. It created a clear rhythm to the day, and school never felt like it consumed everything.

Here in Taiwan, the rhythm feels completely different...

Even in elementary school, the schedule is already long. Right now my son’s school day usually runs from 7:30 to around 12:30, with one day finishing at 15:30. But starting from Grade 3, it will be 15:30 most days of the week, with only one day finishing at 12:30 and one at 13:50.

And on top of that, he stays in after-class care to finish homework. That alone extends his day even further, sometimes until around 17:10. 

So in reality, he spends most of his day at school.

And unlike in Poland, there is usually only one meal break, and children aren’t allowed to bring food from home! That makes the day feel even longer, especially for young kids.

What surprises me most is that even though school officially starts at 7:30, I often see children leaving home at 6:30 already fully ready for the day. And many don't back home until 20:00-21:00 when they finish cram school.

Then comes the part that made me laugh (and cry a little).

Summer homework arrived.

More than 60 pages 😭

So… summer holiday? Are we sure?

At the same time, on Tuesday and Wednesday Adrian was still writing end-of-year exams! I never had that lol

So even in the final days before the holiday officially starts, there are still exams happening and summer homework is already waiting.

In Poland, the end of the school year feels completely different. Many children barely attend the last 2 weeks because teachers have already finished giving final grades. The year slowly winds down instead of stretching into more exams and assignments.

Even Adrian’s exam level surprised us. My husband looked at the Chinese sections and said it felt more like Grade 4 material than Grade 2! So it’s not only me feeling that the expectations can be intense. 

For me, the comparison is clear: this feels more like the workload I remember from junior high school than elementary school, except maybe for the final exam in Grade 6 (now Grade 8 after elementary and junior high were combined).

We didn’t have constant exams and endless homework. Even in high school there was no summer homework. Seriously - none!

On top of that, family life also shapes how all of this feels.

My husband works in another city most of the time and often stays in hotels. After 8 years in Taiwan, I feel like we’ve only actually spent around 4 of those years living together normally. He’s always somewhere else for work, always moving between cities.

So when I look at my son’s daily routine - long school hours, after-class study time, homework, exams, and early mornings, it all adds up quickly.

Winter somehow feels even sadder. By the time Adrian finishes after-class study, it’s already getting dark. Although Taiwan doesn’t have huge seasonal daylight changes like Poland, seeing kids come home when the day is already ending still makes school feel endless.

In the end, it’s just two very different systems and two very different ideas of what childhood, school, and free time should look like.

So instead of saying: Happy summer holidays ☀️

Maybe here it’s more like: Good luck with your summer assignments 😆

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Whoever Designed This Crosswalk Has Clearly Never Been a Pedestrian...

There’s a saying that good design should work for the people using it.

After today, I’m convinced whoever designed this pedestrian crossing has never actually been a pedestrian.

I went to pick up a lychee order and ended up being unwillingly enrolled in a live-action escape room titled: “Cross the Road Without Dying or Losing Your Will to Live.” What should have been a quick errand turned into an obstacle course disguised as urban planning. I don’t usually go through this part of town - and after today, I’m not exactly eager to return.

Why?

This isn’t a normal crosswalk. Of course not. That would be too simple!

Instead, it’s two parallel roads with a pedestrian crossing split into three separate stages, because apparently one crossing was far too mainstream.

Already confusing? It gets better.

The first section doesn’t even have a pedestrian light. So your options are to guess when it’s safe to cross

or try to interpret signals from a completely different road like some kind of traffic-based psychic experiment.

Either way, it feels less like a crosswalk and more like gambling - with your safety as the prize.

The second crossing gives you 13 whole seconds. Thirteen!!!

A number so generous it almost feels like a prank.

Sounds reasonable on paper, until you realize that’s barely enough time for most people to reach the island in the middle, not even finish the full crossing... Oh, and the cars don’t really stop. Because apparently pedestrians are optional participants in this system. Even running feels like a challenge. The 13 seconds disappear faster than any sense of safety.

And if you don’t make it? Don’t worry - you’ll just be stranded there like a decorative traffic obstacle while cars continue their personal mission of “not caring.” 

If you do end up stuck in the middle, things get even better. You can’t even see the pedestrian light anymore... So you’re just standing there in the middle of traffic infrastructure thinking: Am I safe? Am I in the wrong? Am I now part of the road system?

Nobody knows. Not even the road.

The funniest part I noticed on the way back is the final section.

Pedestrian light: red

Car light: also red

Result: everyone just stands there… confused.

But here’s the twist - you can actually walk to the island safely, because traffic only comes from one direction and they’re all already waiting their turn to move anyway.

So technically it’s perfectly safe. And yet the pedestrian light is still glowing bright red like it’s guarding the gates of a highly classified facility...

So you end up in this weird situation where it’s safe to walk, everyone knows it’s safe to walk but nobody is moving and the system is still yelling “NO“.

It’s not traffic control. It’s traffic meditation. A shared moment of collective uncertainty where absolutely nothing happens, yet somehow everyone is still stressed.

And yes... this whole masterpiece is right next to a school!

So you’ve got children, parents, and commuters all trying to decode a three-stage puzzle just to cross a street safely. Nothing says “child safety” like a logic puzzle disguised as infrastructure.

You can almost imagine the planning meeting:

“How can we make this more complicated?”

“What if we split it into three regrets?”

“Perfect. Approved.”

Whoever approved this design should be required to use it every day for a month. No shortcuts. No exceptions. No standing safely on the side watching. Just them, a 13-second timer, and the slow realization that pedestrians are apparently optional characters in this system.

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