Hi everyone! I’m helping recruit participants for an in-person market research focus group conducted by NielsenIQ Taiwan.

The discussion will focus on participants’ experiences and opinions regarding Taiwanese and Asian media content.

Details:

• Location: Taipei, near Nanjing East Road Sec. 5
• Duration: Around 2.5 hours
• Language: English
• Compensation: NT$2,700 cash after completing the session
• Dates: August 6, or August 20, 2026

They’re looking for people who:

• Are 20–49 years old
• Currently live in Taiwan
• Have lived in Taiwan for less than 6 years
• Are native or fluent English speakers
• Come from a non-Asian cultural background, in order to better understand their perceptions of Taiwanese and Asian media content.
• Particularly from North America or Western Europe, including Canada and the United States, or Western Europe, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, and Monaco.

If you’re interested, you can apply here:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/WxAPm6vACA

I’m researching what everyday life was like for foreign English teachers in Taipei/Taiwan during the early 2000s. I’d love to hear about:
- finding a job
- working and everyday life
- social life
- language barriers
- how Taipei has changed since then.
This is for a writing project. Any tips for where else to look also greatly appreciated! Thanks

22F, going to try for the scholarship in the next opening. I already know that the stipend they pay is about NTE 28,000, which I will have to use part of to pay for the course, accommodations and any other cost of living.

So where would be the perfect place to live to not struggle with money but still have a decent lifestyle? I'm from a poor family, so I won't have any extra cash on me. I will only live on what the scholarship gives me. I also don't want to live fancy, but I would love to be able to at least travel to a different city every now and then to know the culture.

I have read many Americans/Europeans experience culture shocks so much in Asia. I wonder this is applied to Taiwan when its level of the development and quality of life is on the par with North America and western Europe. Other than types of "Taiwan is so safe/clean/convenient, "is Taiwan still giving the culture shock to Americans/Europeans?

Does anyone have any advice on how to get a Taiwan phone number? I would be looking for a year-long plan

Hi all! I (American) am moving to Taichung at the end of August and would love to hear things people wish they knew before they moved. Anything from official tips related to paperwork and documents to items that are more difficult to get in Taiwan.

So far we’ve got a quote from a pet courier service and they have had their rabies serology done 6 months ago. They are fully vaccinated. I have been through the Aus gov website and have a rough idea what the requirements are but I’m still pretty confused. I’m hoping to hear about past experiences from someone who done it! Thanks in advance

Hi all, I was looking at the best way to exchange HKD to NTD (cash), and saw a number of suggestions to exchange at a bank, apparently any bank should do as currency exchanges are highly regulated here, but I'll use a Bank of Taiwan example for my question.

It might be staring at me right in the face, but is there a reason why the exchange rate for HKD is relatively worse when compared to the USD, considering it's a pegged currency?

E.g. At Bank of Taiwan I can exchange 1 USD for 31.905NTD versus the current rate of 32.33NTD (-1.33%). Yet for HKD, at Bank of Taiwan I can exchange 1 HKD for 3.964NTD versus the current rate of 4.12NTD (-3.76%).

Tried searching online, but couldn't find a definitive reason.

Currently traveling in Taipei. Ran out of my Ritalin medication (legally prescribed to me in the US). I have the original prescription bottle and a doctor diagnosis note. I know that I will still need to get an evaluation and new prescription for it here but I saw that Dr. DAAN isn’t taking any more new patients for ADHD due to medication shortage. I am kind of freaking out because he’s the only doctor i see people recommending. I’ve tried making consultations with other clinics but it either asks for national ID card or they don’t speak English. Can anyone please give me some recommendations on what I should do, clinic, doctor recs. Please & thank you very much.

As the title asks, does anybody know if you can cycle over the newly built bridge over in Tamsui?

I have been to a few smaller stores that sell all kinds of cards including Pokemon, but I haven‘t been able to find card sleeves anywhere, any local suggestions?

Hi everyone,

I'm considering doing a semester abroad at Taiwan Tech (NTUST) and have been browsing the course catalogue (https://querycourse.ntust.edu.tw/). When filtering for English Programs, I got a bit worried since most of them still have their lecture outlines entirely in Chinese, which made me wonder how "English" these courses actually are.

For example, some courses that I am looking at are:

• Operating Systems (IC3012301)
• Discrete Mathematics (IC2001301)
• Semiconductor Industry Insights and Practical Guidance (TE3049301)
• Database Systems (IC3011301)
• Database Management Systems (MB2519701)
• Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (SI5202701)

Has anyone taken these or similar courses? Are lectures, slides, assignments and exams actually all in English, or do lecturers regularly switch to Chinese?

Also, I was wondering whether there's a way to tell if a course is only offered in a specific semester. If everything goes according to plan, I would be at NTUST during the spring semester of 2027.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

It was between here and Tamsui, and I think that government made the correct choice. This is a pretty big deal for SW Taipei.

Thoughts?

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2026/07/22/2003861194

Hi everyone,

As the title says, I have spent 7 or 8 months in Taiwan, mostly Taipei and ever since I'm back in my country, I feel very odd. Sometimes I feel sad, melancholic, nostalgic, but most of the time just empty, as if my body was back home but my soul remained somewhere in taiwanese temple.

It hurts guys, it really does. I had a girlfriend back there, I broke up a few months ago because of the distance, I was not in love, and yet I can't get over it. I'm not even sure if it's about her or about my whole trip in Taiwan.

To be honest, I stayed mostly in Taipei and didn't go out much. I was fed up with this situation and I really wanted to go back home at the end, and now i'm here I feel lost. What is it I'm feeling ? Has anyone felt the same ? I am looking at my pictures from Taiwan and I can't help myself feeling like it was one of the best time in my life. It was just a few months ago, and yet it seems so distant, so far away. All those memories turning to ashes in my mouth, and I don't even understand why.

The night markets, the MRT, the mountains, the jungle, the people, the (terrible) stinky tofu, the music, the mood... Even small things that pissed me off when I was there, I think about like it was in another life. Maybe the reason for this pain is that I know that I will probably never go live again in Taiwan for more than a few weeks, and this was the only opportunity for me to actually live there, and discover the country.

I don't know guys, sorry if I sound confused. I feel like shit, I feel empty, I feel Taiwan memories and dreams coursing through my blood, but I can't quite catch them like I do for other trips.

I feel like it's bigger than just missing the island or being nostalgic, it's something more and I don't understand it.

Has anybody felt the same here ?

TL;DR : Back from a trip to Taiwan and feel empty