Vignettes of a Foreigner in a Foreign Land

By Gregory K. Taylor

Hair fashions:

Student happily poses for photo while riding Taiwan's MRT

The swirl/swish hairstyle

 The Beatles were the first to introduce to the “modern world” the revolutionary hairstyle known as the Mop Top. There have been several incarnations of this thematic coif by subsequent generations from the Gen X'ers' spiked mohawk to the Hip Hop'ers' fade. Often the hallmarks of the free-spirit found in most western cultures, these hairstyles make an independent and political statement of identity for the wearer . As for the more lockstep toe the line political systems, until recently, expressions of individuality were routinely discouraged when it came to one's outward appearance—but even that is changing. Dateline Taiwan: Hair expressions of the latest school-age generation.  Beauty is truly in the eye of the current generation.

Baton wielding Taiwanese:

I think he intended to thump me with his baton !!  This year, I have been driving for the first time in Taiwan which I always avoided in my previous visits. The reasons are many, but my main hesitation has been due to the ubiquitous motor scooters scooting in and out of traffic often passing on both sides of cars in a haphazard manner. So, with a degree of humility, I ventured into Taiwan's free-for-all traffic and as advertised I was immediately beset on all sides by these scooters like drones around a Queen bee. After a few days of this apprenticeship boot camp, I began to feel a level of satisfaction, if not smugness, with my ability to adapt in a chaotic environment.

Location of the baton wielding scooter driver

Then came the night I almost got brained by an irate scooter rider. Surrounded, as usual, by passing scooters I pulled over to the curb to wait for a friend who was exiting from the subway. Unbeknownst to me, I had cut a scooter off, who was in my blind spot, when I pulled over to the curb. Once over, the irate scooter rider passed by my driver's side window hurling Chinese obscenities. I exited my vehicle to let my friend know that I had arrived, and to my surprise the scooter rider pulled over ahead of me. With baton in hand he climbed off his scooter and walked back in my direction. Was he a policeman, I thought? There's not much distinction between a police scooter and civilian scooters. Blue and red lights to the front and rear are common to both scooters. As he continued to approach me with a contorted face, I was planning my defensive strategy for when he entered my "Def-Con 1" personal space.

Motor scooters passing to the right of cars

Once he approached close enough to see that I wasn't Chinese his demeanor began to change. The scowl now morphed to inquisitive bemusement. Not missing my Barack Obama opportunity to negotiate with my adversary, I threw him a gambit. In my best Chinese I told him that I was confused and didn't understand why he was approaching me in such a hostile manner. He was still steaming a bit, but he tried to explain that I didn't signal when I pulled to the curb. Now we were standing right in front of each other, in fact, side-by-side when he was pointing to my turn signal light. The danger pretty much negated by proximity, I apologized with a slight bow and told him I was embarrassed by my driving actions. This is the gracious thing to do when one almost kills someone in a traffic accident. We shook hands and with a slight smile he walked back to his scooter and drove away.

This was a great lesson for me about a few things, but the most important one I took away from this incident was that not all Chinese are docile, deferential, and willing to handle a situation in a non-violent manner. This guy had every intention of cracking me one, maybe two or three, on the head! I have noted this for future reference and now carry a blunt instrument of my own in the car for such violent encounters.

To get an idea of the difficulty involved in negotiating traffic with these motor scooters
see the attached video to the right  ~~~>

 Full Service Gas Stations?

Female service station attendant pumping gas

With gas in America teetering between the price of four and five dollars per gallon in any given month, it is refreshing to see Full Service being offered at gas stations in Taiwan. Long gone and never to return (anywhere in the world) are the good old days of the attendant checking your oil level, radiator coolant, wiper fluid, and tire pressure. The semi-service in Taiwan I'm told, jokingly, is more out of self-preservation from a clumsy customer who might cause the entire station to go up in flames. At the average price of $9.00 per gallon this full service should be required penance and then some. Practically, all the crude that is refined in Taiwan must be imported which explains the comparatively high price. So, the next time you top off your tank at $4.00 or $5.00 a gallon, that you must pump yourself, you might take solace in the fact that world prices are generally twice that amount.

         See attached video to the right:    ~~~>

   MY FIRST TIME DRIVING IN TAIPEI

Gregory K. Taylor is obviously still in Taiwan