New House, New Problems & A Sweet Collaboration

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.

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A Pastel Afternoon at Shu Art Studio – My First Time as an Art Model

Last Saturday, I had a completely new and unexpected experience: I was invited to be a model for a portrait sketching session at Shu Art Studio 江書逸繪畫工作室 in Toufen, not far from where we live. The session was inspired by the works of Mary Cassatt, a 19th-century American Impressionist known for her soft and delicate portraits of women and children. The medium of the day was oil pastel, and I had the honor of being the muse for a group of adult art students.

When I first got the message from the studio, I honestly thought it might be a scam 😅. But the invitation was warm, personal, and even mentioned my desserts (which made it sound more real and sweet!). They even encouraged me to visit the studio beforehand if I felt unsure. After chatting a bit more and checking things out, I agreed and I’m so glad I did.

The session ran from 1:30 to 4:30 PM, including setup and breaks, so the actual modeling time was about 1.5 to 2 hours. There were breaks (thankfully!), but still—it’s not as easy as it sounds to sit still and be observed from all angles while trying to look “natural.” I’ve been on TV before, I’ve done a YouTube interview, and I’ve joined a few other events, so you'd think I’d be used to being around people or even in front of a camera. But this felt different... more intimate, and honestly, more intense. I kept thinking, this time all eyes are literally on me! 😅

I thought I was smiling most of the time, but based on the finished artworks… my face looked quite serious! Maybe that’s just my focused face? 🤭 Some students used pastels, while others used pencil to create black-and-white portraits. I ended up loving those simple, classic sketches the most. One of them especially stood out to me - it had this soft, quiet feel. The artist was a young woman who seemed pretty shy, and I felt like she didn’t want her work shared publicly. But she kindly let me take her sketch home, along with two other people. Now I have three beautiful portraits of myself, made by strangers with different eyes and different styles. It’s such a surreal and touching thing to keep.

The portrait sessions were broken into 25-minute blocks with 5-minute breaks in between. Surprisingly, just sitting still was quite tiring. I started feeling some back and neck pain from trying to keep a good posture and not move. There were also quite a few bright lights around, which made my sensitive eyes tear up a bit 😅.

The main artist who created the pastel portrait of me had studied in Spain before - which I found really impressive. His sister is also an artist and works with ceramics. We saw some of her handmade cups and plates, and they looked beautiful, really elegant and well-crafted.

My husband and son also stayed at the studio, since they didn’t have much to do on a hot afternoon. Our son was given some paper and pastels, and he created his own little artwork. I was a bit worried at first that he might cause trouble, but he actually sat quietly, didn’t bother anyone, and behaved really well. At one point, I even thought my husband and son had left, because it was so quiet and I hadn’t seen them for a while—but it turned out they were just exploring another room that’s actually dedicated for kids to make art. Such a nice surprise!

And that’s not the end! Shu Art Studio and I are planning another collaboration soon. Next Saturday, they’re hosting a small art talk event, and I’ll be preparing some cakes and cookies for the group of around 20 people. I love how naturally this is turning into a mix of art, people, and my favorite thing - baking.

If you’re around Toufen and feel curious about art (or desserts 😉), Shu Art Studio is a hidden gem worth checking out. I never expected to find myself sitting as a model for a group of artists on a quiet Saturday afternoon, but I’m really grateful I said yes. It’s one of those experiences that stay with you - not loud or dramatic, just quietly special. 

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Joining Short Video Competition in Taiwan

November Update:

On November 15th, we attended the winner's ceremony in Taipei. Out of the 25 people, only 20 groups received rewards (the rewards are listed below). I was among the 12 individuals who received an excellent work reward—super happy.

October Update:

On October 27th, the shortlisted list was released, confirming our inclusion. Subsequently, on November 3rd, we received the official email confirmation and an invitation for the award ceremony scheduled for November 15th. It falls on a Wednesday afternoon, not the most convenient timing, but we'll make time to travel to Taipei for the event. At this point, we're unaware of the specific place we've been awarded, as it will only be announced during the ceremony. I'll provide an update on the outcome later.

The Mainland Affairs Council and the Immigration Bureau are jointly organizing the "eye臺灣win兩岸'' (Eye Taiwan Win Cross-Strait) short film competition. This year marks its 6th edition, but for the first time, it's open to all immigrants in Taiwan. In previous years, the competition primarily focused on humanistic stories that revolved around life experiences, cultural exchanges, and emotional connections of individuals from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, including Hong Kong and Macao.

The application period runs from July 26, 2023, to September 27, 2023, so there isn't much time left to participate. The winners will be announced on November 16th, which is quite some time afterward (I might forget about it). As it's a short video competition, entries must be less than 3 minutes in length. Every participant must upload their video to their personal YouTube channel, making it a good opportunity for people to discover my channel (I've been struggling to gain subscribers).

There are 20 awards in total: 

First Prize: 1 winner (bonus of NT$200,000 and 1 certificate)

Second Prize: 2 (bonus of NT$120,000 and 1 certificate)

Participation: 2 people (a bonus of NT$80,000 and 1 certificate)

Excellent works: 12 (prize: NT$20,000 and 1 certificate)

Internet Popularity Award: 3 (department store gift certificate worth NT$3,000 and 1 certificate)

The link to website: HERE

Welcome to also check out the video I made for the competition:

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9th Edition of '"Dream-Building Project for New Immigrants and Their Children” Gala Event

Thank you to the Immigration Bureau for inviting us to this year's gala event. We were one of the three groups that participated in last year's program.

In order to allow new immigrants and their children to chase their dream in Taiwan, The Immigration Department of the Ministry of the Interior holds the "Dream-Building Project for New Immigrants and Their Children” each year.

This year marked the 9th edition, and we were invited to the inauguration gala as one of the three groups that won last year. If you are interested in participating, you can apply for next year's program. The registration deadline falls around December each year; you can obtain more information by contacting the Immigration Bureau.

Who can register for this program? It's open to both new immigrants and the children of new immigrants. The program is not restricted to any specific country, although I have observed that participants typically originate from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian countries.

The program encompasses several subject categories, including:

1. Entrepreneurship and Marketing Group

2. Educational Learning, Art, and Culture Group

3. Multimedia and Digital Technology Group

4. Social Welfare Service Group

5. Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Group

 

We have observed people pursuing a variety of paths, from musicians and dancers to individuals marketing their culinary creations and beverages, YouTubers, and those committed to helping those in need.

Registering for the program is a straightforward process. You only need to complete a form introducing yourself, outlining your dream, and explaining how you intend to utilize the government subsidy. While selection is not guaranteed, if chosen, you will receive guidance and support throughout the process of realizing your dream. Subsequently, a video profiling you and your dream will be recorded and showcased at the gala event.

However, it's important to remember that enrollment in the program is restricted to a one-time opportunity. Therefore, it's crucial to ensure that your plan aligns with your long-term goals.

I provide further information about this program on my blog, where I describe the entire journey we underwent. Feel free to check it out as well. [HERE]

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Father's Day Cake Decorating

Recently, we participated in a Father's Day event in Zhunan (Miaoli). It was a cake decorating primarily attended by moms and daughters, with a few sons joining as well. There were not many fathers, unless as photographers. 

The government often organizes such events, providing parents and kids with activities like pizza making or kimchi preparation.

This time, they collaborated with a local bakery and invited a baker to lead the cake decorating event. For a small fee of just 200NT, we could decorate our own cakes and take it home along with a bonus gift of freshly baked bread from the bakery.

In the package we received were three layers of sponge cake, about 6 inches in size, with two fillings - taro and peanut. To cover the cake, we had a white icing / cream, and for decorating, we were given three vibrant colors and some marshmallows.

However, I noticed that many people seemed unfamiliar with cake decorating techniques. A mother-daughter duo sitting next to us weren't aware that they should separate the sponge cake layers before starting the decorating process. As a result, they attempted to decorate the top layer directly. Seeing this I asked my husband to tell them to separate the layers first. 

Since it was primarily meant for children to enjoy and have fun, I can't complain about it. Personally I felt boring as it was too basic. It would be fun to join a more advanced baking class, but it's difficult to find something in English. 

I have my cake decorating kit at home, but apart from my son's birthday cakes, I haven't made anything else. I usually make pretty small 6'' cakes, so after purchasing ingredients, which are usually around 1 kg or 1 liter, I end up with plenty of leftovers. Since I don't use the extra ingredients to make cakes for sale, I would have to finish them all on my own (with the help of my husband and son), but it still seems like a lot. Or maybe I'm just lazy and searching for excuses, haha!

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Life Update: Covid-19, Moving Homes, and a Kindergarten Review

Unfortunately, it happened – all three of us got sick with Covid-19 in the middle of July. 

It started with my husband experiencing pain and having a high fever. Since it was a Sunday, all clinics were closed. He refused to go to the hospital's emergency room, thinking he could wait until Monday. We had some painkillers and fever syrup at home, so he took those and went to sleep. The next morning, I brought him to see a doctor. 

We had to wait in line for two hours as there were so many patients, although most of them didn't seem really sick. The visit was not even five minutes long, and he received some pills to take for the next three days.

Unlike in Poland, in Taiwan, you have to pay for a doctor's visit, which currently costs 200NT, but it includes the medicine, making it really cheap. The medicine is packed in separate packages, just enough for the days you have to take it, so you won't have a whole package of each medicine like we do in Poland. I think this approach prevents a lot of medicine from going to waste if we get better before finishing the package, so it sounds really good. Also, normally three days of medicine are enough to get well.

My husband slept the whole day, only getting up for meals and medicine. At that time, my son and I were fine. Since there were no restrictions anymore, our son still went to kindergarten.

Due to our return to Poland earlier this year, my husband doesn't have many days off (2 or 3 only...). Additionally, there is only 1 other person working in his position, but he took time off due to his mother's death, so on Tuesday, my husband was already working. The good thing is he mostly works from home, so he just sat there and did his tasks. When there was nothing to do, he took naps as he was still feeling tired from COVID-19.

On Wednesday morning, I started feeling muscle pain, but other than that, I was okay. I thought maybe it was because I had slept on the sofa for the past three nights and didn't feel comfortable sleeping. I still took our son to kindergarten, cleaned, and cooked as usual. While I was on my way to the shop, we received a phone call from the kindergarten. Adrian seemed fine in the morning, but two hours later, the teacher called us, saying he had a high fever. We picked him up and went to the doctor together.

Once again, we had to wait in line for over an hour. It was pretty hot, and I started to feel unwell, lacking air. I went outside to sit, but instead of helping, it made me feel nauseous. Going back inside, with the sudden change from hot to cold, I felt dizzy and nearly passed out. After sitting for five minutes, I felt totally fine, as if nothing had happened. Nevertheless, we got medicine for me and our son.

Adrian slept for nearly two days straight as well, but after that, he was totally fine. He didn't have any other symptoms except for fever and muscle pain on the first day. It was the last week of his kindergarten before the (very short) summer holidays, and he was upset because they had planned to play in the water, but he had to stay at home. However, by the weekend, he was totally fine, and on Monday, he still went to kindergarten to say goodbye to the older kids who were going to attend elementary school.

Speaking of the kindergarten, every place is different, but our son's kindergarten only has one week of summer holidays and one week of winter holidays, as well as national holidays, etc. For Europeans, it may seem very short, but for kids his age, it's totally fine as they have plenty of toys and friends to play with. Our son loves his kindergarten, and even when he's off, he asks when he's going to go there again. 

He stays for eight hours, but the kindergarten opens for 12 hours a day! The normal payment actually covers 10 hours, and the additional 2 hours from 5-7 PM have an extra fee (very cheap tho!). 

We sent him to a public kindergarten, which is very cheap, about 2500NT per month, which includes all meals, snacks, and any materials they use for crafts, etc. The teachers are super nice. 

We also have a Line group, so if there's anything important, they will send messages there with updates, or I can contact them if I need to.

Every kindergarten is different, so, for example, my friend's kids finished at the end of June and have a two-month holiday. Also, if you don't attend for five or more days, you can get part of the money back.

For those who may have kids in Taiwan but don't know the rules for attending kindergarten – most places have a lottery system, and often there are more kids than available places. Sometimes you have to register even two years earlier. 

We moved during the school year and were lucky that they had space. Public and semi-public kindergartens are cheaper compared to private places. Kindergartens and schools in Taiwan require household registration, which can be troublesome as many landlords refuse to register (to avoiding higher taxes, etc.).

The difference between Taiwan and Poland is that if your child goes to school in Poland, you will still receive a government subsidy. In Taiwan, you can only get subsidies for up to six years, but if your child attends kindergarten, you won't get child allowance. I'm not sure what the price is now, but before he joined kindergarten, it was 2000 or 2500NT (280 - 350 PLN) per month. 

In Poland, you can get 500+ PLN (3500NT), school fee 300PLN each school year, and some extra money for low-income families. Some of the money you can get until you are 26 years old if you study at a university, or at least until you are 18 years old! It's a huge difference, but also the tax in Poland is a lot higher than in Taiwan, so it's reasonable.

We finished moving to a new house recently and son went back to kindergarten, so finally, I'll have more free time. I recorded some videos, but they have been waiting to be edited for a couple of weeks. If you have children, you'll understand that usually, it's hard to get anything done around them...

It's so tiring to always change places, but there was no choice. The landlady is so greedy lol. We paid 27000NT a month, but when checking prices in the area, most of them were 21000-23000NT. Yet, the landlady wanted to raise the fee! 

There are many unrented empty apartments in the area, and more are still being built. Therefore, it's not a situation of super high demand for rental places where you can increase prices all the time

There was no negotiation, she just straightforwardly told us that if we don't accept it, we should move out. So we did.

At least the new landlady is super nice and friendly!

Later, the building manager tried to push us to rent other expensive apartments in the building. It's a sales tactic; that's what they do. They attempt to find gullible people who would rent or buy something above the market price. They also often hide important information. So, if you want to buy a house in Taiwan, be careful.

We almost bought a house with a road in front of it that belonged to someone else, and they could potentially block it at any time. However, that probably wasn't an important detail they mentioned to potential buyers.

I would like to mention something that I've noticed during my life in Taiwan. It's my personal experience, and while some of you might be unhappy to hear it, I think most Taiwanese people don't clean their houses regularly. When we rented this place, it was dirty. The toilet was yellow, the kitchen stove was dirty, and I spent the whole day cleaning it thoroughly. The apartment looks way cleaner than it did a year ago.

This issue isn't limited to just this place. We have moved several times and visited many rental places as well as houses for sale. In my experience, almost all of them were really untidy. I understand that sometimes people don't live inside, and dust will accumulate, but we have also visited homes where families were living, and even there, we were asked to take off our shoes, but the floors were full of dust, hair, and other things. Wearing white socks, they turned grey afterward!

I also don't understand why many people don't paint their walls or change furniture after like 30-40 years. Nobody seems to take care of their houses properly but still asks for a lot of money in return. In contrast, going back to Poland, in just 3 years, I noticed huge changes in some of my family's houses - refreshed colors, renovations, and new furniture. Poland isn't as wealthy as Taiwan, but people take care of their property a lot more than they do here.

A video from previous rental apartment: 

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The Ups and Downs of My Life ~ 2023 is Not My Year!

This year has been really unlucky for me, and it has made me feel a bit depressed at times. Probably a year ago, I wouldn't have cared as much about certain things, but this year I feel like a different person. I missed out on two TV opportunities and one from YouTube, but I'll provide more details about them later.

On top of everything, today my husband tested positive for COVID-19. I hope he recovers soon. I had thought that COVID-19 was behind us, as life seemed to be returning to normal. Well, maybe not exactly normal. For instance, my son's kindergarten still requires wearing masks, even though it's 35 degrees Celsius every day. It's difficult for the kids to cover their faces in such heat.

Despite the challenges faced in 2023, I had 2 happy things that came my way. However, even though these positive moments bring joy, they can't fully overshadow the opportunities I missed along the way. 

Let me start from the beginning. I sell cakes, but for almost half a year, there have been very few eggs available in Taiwan. Initially, we could occasionally buy them at a much higher price, but at least I could still make cakes when someone wanted to order. From March to almost June, the store shelves were empty, and even when eggs did appear, there were limits per customer! 

When the problem finally subsided, selling cakes didn't get any easier. The prices of ingredients have increased significantly, and everyone is raising their prices, including me. As a result, I barely have any customers. I also partially blame the place we live in for this situation. 

We moved to Miaoli, and people here have a slightly negative opinion when it comes to spending money. In the past 5 years, I delivered cakes to various counties, and I have served many customers, some of whom I have delivered to multiple times. However, I cannot recall receiving orders from Miaoli specifically. Maybe I'm too influenced by Taiwanese people. They often refer to Miaoli as an independent country, with different rules that nobody in other places follows, and they are quite close-minded (if I can say that).

As an example, I have to say that I have resided in Yunlin, Hsinchu, and Tainan. In those counties, if someone's address on their ARC card indicates that they live there, they may be entitled to promotional or even free entry to certain places. Please don't misunderstand me, I have no issue with paying for tickets. However, what bothers me is that in Miaoli, people scrutinize and insist that I pay because I am not from Miaoli. Interestingly, my ARC card states otherwise. 

I used to feel a sense of belonging and inclusion in the community wherever I lived. Whether it was in Tainan or any other place, they would acknowledge that I was living in that specific location. I didn't feel like just another foreigner, traveler, stranger. I felt like an integral part of Taiwan. However, living in Miaoli now, the experience is vastly different. I no longer have that same feeling of being part of the community. It's a significant shift that I've noticed since moving to here.

Story 1 - Taiwanese TV

This year, I had two TV opportunities, one from Taiwanese TV and the other from Polish TV. Unfortunately, it seems that both didn't work out. We were contacted by Hakka TV because we live in Miaoli, the most densely populated Hakka county in Taiwan. Everything seemed fine. We had a few conversations, and they seemed interested in inviting us on the show. The woman who contacted us asked about what we do and if we were interested in being on the show, etc. 

The show is about immigrant people living in Hakka communities, and they were specifically looking for someone who does YouTube, which fit their expectations since I live in a Hakka community, have my own business, and also have a small YouTube channel. Based on our conversations, it seemed like they were totally okay with recording with us. They discussed dates, mentioning that it would be recorded in July and would take four days to shoot (it's a one-hour-long TV show). They never indicated that we weren't suitable or that they changed their minds. 

However, July arrived, and we didn't receive any messages for about three to four weeks, so we decided to contact them. That's when we found out that they decided not to record with us. It's okay if they didn't want to, but shouldn't they have informed us? We are about to move houses, and we had informed them that we would be busy this end of month, so we needed to schedule in advance. Maybe this is normal for TV, I don't know, but I feel a bit disrespected by their lack of communication. 

If anyone is curious - TV doesn't pay anything for recording.

Story 2 - Polish TV

The other offer from Polish TV also seems to have fallen through. The headhunter who contacted me said they would let me know within two weeks, and that time has passed, but my phone remains silent. The TV show is called "Polacy za granicą" which records the lives, work, etc., of Polish people living abroad. 

I was contacted by the headhunter at the end of June. After my response, she quickly scheduled a meeting for the next evening. She asked me a few questions to get to know me better, although she isn't the one choosing the participants. She recorded the meeting for the producer. 

I think I did quite well (my story of how I got to Taiwan is quite special). She seemed highly interested in my story, but I suppose others weren't as intrigued. It could be because I don't live in Taipei (She told me, that everyone she interviews resides in the capital). A few days ago, she sent me information that the recording would take place at the end of July, although she didn't have confirmed information about who they had chosen. 

Now, it's the middle of July, and I haven't received any further information, so I'm guessing it's not me (once again...). I wonder who the lucky five people will be. I don't really know many Polish people in Taiwan (most of them live in Taipei). Apart from Taiwan, they will be recording in Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. Each country will have five people, and they only have three days of recording.

As I mentioned, a year ago, I wouldn't have even wanted to be included in any TV show (I'm camera shy). However, this year, I'm feeling more brave and open, so I wanted to try something new (maybe not entirely new, as I've been on TV before), but this time it would be a completely different experience. Who knows, maybe I'll have another chance in the future. What upsets me the most is the Polish TV opportunity because I thought it would be an easier way for my family to see my life instead of just me sharing pictures.

Little update (August):

I haven't received any messages from them since our last communication. However, on July 28th, I came across a post on the Facebook group titled 'We are looking for people in Taipei who are available today and can join us for a recording.' It appears that their organization isn't very efficient and they don't provide clear informations. Prior to that, they had mentioned 'people living in Taiwan,' which encompasses the entire country, right? Why invest time in interviewing people who clearly don't fit the criteria of 'living in Taipei'? 

It would have been considerate to send a message saying, 'Sorry, you didn't make it onto the show,' rather than simply ignoring people after the interview and leaving them to wonder whether they would be chosen or not. This leaves them uncertain about whether they should keep that time slot open or continue with their own plans. Unfortunately, this habit of ignoring people seems to be quite common among TV stations in Poland and Taiwan (I'm not sure about other countries). 

Interestingly, it appears that they were unable to find enough people to participate in the recording. I also noticed several comments criticizing them, so it's not just my feeling that they are not really good.

In the middle of August, I've got a message, saying, 'I apologize for not reaching out earlier; it was a chaotic time. Unfortunately, our plans didn't work out.'" - Well... I did notice that, it was recorded two weeks ago! 

As someone who is involved in business, I make it a point to always respond to messages. If I can't fulfill something, I express my apologies. I don't just ignore customers. While selling food and participating in TV recordings might be different things, it gives me the impression that those TV stations are not worthy of my time. 

Story 3 - YouTube

Lastly, there's story number 3. 

I don't really use Instagram, especially in the last 1.5 years. I rarely check Instagram since my family and friends mostly use Facebook, and I have become more accustomed to using it. Recently, however, I thought maybe I could use it a bit more to get more people to know about my blog, YouTube channel, and cakes. So, I started posting more often and following more people. 

One of the accounts I followed was Stop Kidding Studio, a famous YouTube channel owned by a Taiwanese guy who interviews foreigners living in Taiwan. As soon as I followed the account, a message popped up. When I opened it, I noticed the date - it was from February 2022, over a year ago and it had never appeared before. Normally, I don't check my spam or message requests because there are usually plenty of weird messages from men with offers related to sex, pics of their..., etc. Nevertheless, I still responded to his message, even after such a long time. I didn't say that I wanted to take part in his video. I just wanted to apologize for unintentionally ignoring it.

The only good things this year

2023 really hasn't been my year so far! I hope that things will improve in the future. Perhaps I will have better luck.

One positive development amidst the challenges of 2023 was that I successfully reinstated my cake shop on Google Maps. Initially, after updating my address a few months ago, my account got suspended. Despite reaching out to Google for assistance, their response was automated and unhelpful, leaving me feeling frustrated and uncertain. I discovered that many others had encountered similar issues without finding a resolution. As months passed, my hope dwindled, but I still occasionally checked for any changes. I had to go through the process of re-verification, but the instructions on how to do so were unclear. In response, I was informed that I would need to provide pictures as evidence that the business is mine, such as a picture of the front store and bills with my name on it.

However, since we only rent the place and don't have our name on any official documents, it became impossible for me to fulfill this requirement. 

After multiple attempts, I finally discovered how to complete the reinstatement process, and surprisingly, it turned out to be quite easy. I'm unsure why the instructions provided by the support team were unclear, as they failed to provide guidance on what steps to take. Even reading various articles on the subject didn't offer a solution. Nonetheless, through perseverance and trial and error, I managed to navigate the process successfully. Finally, just a couple of days ago, I received the news that my cake shop was back on Google Maps. I updated the new address for our upcoming move, ensuring that I won't encounter any troubles with it for at least a year.

Another positive thing that has happened to me this year is that I was mentioned in Twinkl, a British international online educational publishing website. They featured articles in Chinese about Taiwan and English as a second language, and myself along with a few other Taiwanese bloggers were mentioned in one of their articles. This experience made me feel that my writing is truly worthwhile for the first time in the past six years.

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Do I have a stalker?

Day I:

I went to the park and quickly noticed a man riding a bike around, watching me for over an hour. After riding around twice, he stopped and started talking. I could understand that he was asking about cakes, but I couldn't communicate well and didn't want to take orders from random people unless they sent a message on Facebook. He seemed to understand that we couldn't communicate and rode his bike away.

After a few minutes, he came back, this time with his smartphone, and started pointing to cake pictures on his phone, asking if I was the one selling cakes. I wanted to show him to just send a message to the page, but, like many older people, he didn't like messaging?! He kept saying to just talk to him slowly 😂 If we both talked slowly, would we suddenly get along??

Luckily, he wanted a flavor that I had just baked today for our landlady, so I thought I would just sell him the cake. Then, he didn't even want a bag. He held the box in one hand while riding his bike. I hope nothing happens to the cake before he arrives home.

Day II:

Just like yesterday, the same man came to the park. I tried to pretend I didn't notice him while playing with Adrian. He came again, talking about cakes. He must also know my Facebook or Instagram because I posted a cheesecake with raisins today, and he came asking about raisins. He even carried raisins in his hand to show me what he needed. I didn't know how to tell him that it was not for sale but just for me, so I told him he couldn't buy it today.

Then he asked about tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I just said that I wouldn't be there on the weekend. In the end, I used Google Translate (which I noticed uses different words than I'm used to) to tell him to send a message to the cake page so my husband could answer. That seemed to work as he asked about Facebook and then went home. After a while, he came back and gave us a pomelo. At least my cake seems yummy if he comes back again. I'm starting to be afraid of going to the park though...

Later that day:

So I thought the man from the park would send a message to my page, but... He found my personal Facebook account, sent me a friend request (I didn't know who he was, but we had a mutual friend), and then started messaging me... At first, it was in Chinese, but I didn't realize who he was, so I just said I don't speak Chinese to end the conversation. Although he tried to translate everything he said into Polish language, not even English... I tried to answer with Chinese and English together (using a translator)... In the end, he said he wanted to buy the cake, so I asked about Sunday because my husband is home... The guy is kind of creeping me out. I hope he will not appear in the park again. I posted the whole story on my Facebook, and many of my friends are telling me to be careful now.

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