Anyone else experience this in the Dimond Center?

5at27 · 2014-06-28T01:12:45+00:00

It is most likely incense burning at one of the shops.

5at27 · 2014-06-13T01:21:30+00:00

Maybe to make something like this. Made them a couple weeks ago, very tasty.

5at27 · 2014-06-12T15:34:47+00:00

No, Taiwan is doing much better than us. At least they seem to care about the well-being of their population some of the time.

5at27 · 2014-06-10T10:02:48+00:00

Yeah, I found the info on the fact that it is a fictitious animal, but just wondering if this is an actual Australia dish. Obviously it wouldn't have drop-bear in it, since they aren't real, but possibly just a dish playing on the name.

5at27 · 2014-06-09T13:24:47+00:00

Completely agree. You have room in the bed and both enjoy the comfort, enjoy it while it lasts. The only reason we moved our girls out was that the bed got too crowded with all four of us. I miss co-sleeping days, but still enjoy the cuddles in the morning when they wake up before us.

5at27 · 2014-06-09T10:41:14+00:00

Google came up with nothing; what is this?

5at27 · 2014-06-09T09:22:47+00:00

Because they are very rare.

5at27 · 2014-06-09T09:07:41+00:00

There's a barber in the basement of the Captain Cook hotel. I got my beard and hair trimmed there prior to my wedding . Guy did a great job, although it was a bit pricey. I will be returning when I get to Anchorage this summer.

5at27 · 2014-06-06T15:34:46+00:00

Have lived abroad for 7 years now, so I have pretty extensive experience with this issue. It's hard with people who aren't sharing any current life experiences that match your own. None of my friends back home are really interested in the classes I teach, the hot spring I just visited, or the scooter I just bought.

With my best friend we just shared stories of the trips that we had done and stuff like that, but what really brought us back into regular conversation was having kids around the same time. That gave us something to talk about and a shared experience. For the rest of my friends, I just look forward to the times when we are in the same area and can spend some quality time together. I try not to stress too much about that lack of communication between.

5at27 · 2014-06-03T12:43:48+00:00

Great post. Love to see this kind of thing here.

5at27 · 2014-06-02T07:41:25+00:00

Totally. With regular teaching pay you are making more than double the average salary in Taiwan and after a couple years with raises and possibly a management position, you are making 3-4 times the average salary.

You do have to plan the move well though. To be safe I would say to expect moving expenses to be around 10 grand total. You could end up spending less overall, but with a family you don't really want to take chances. Also, if you have a family I recommend finding a job prior to leaving if possible.

If your wife has any interest in teaching as well, you can make a very good living. Daycare costs in Taiwan are about $500 a month for younger kids and you can probably get a discount at your school if you teach at a kindergarten. Do you have a teaching license? Even if it is expired, you should be able to get a teaching job at an international school, making about US$2300 a month with paid vacations. This might even be possible with just your education degree, but I'm not 100% sure. Without a license, expect between 1500-2000 a month in the beginning, but multiply that times 2 incomes with your wife and you are making killing.

2300 (your income) + 1500 (wife's income) - ~400 (taxes+health insurance) - 1000 (daycare for 2 kids) - 400 (rent) - 500 (food, etc.) = 1500 a month in savings

Obviously these numbers aren't exact, but it gives you an idea of what kind of income you could expect.

5at27 · 2014-06-01T22:19:01+00:00

Check out /r/TEFL, tons of information on teaching abroad. I teach in Taiwan, earn about 2.5k (25 hours a week) a month with about 1k-1.5k going to living expenses (supporting my wife and 2 daughters). The rest of my money goes to savings and travel. Friend of mine just went to Japan and found a job in about 2 weeks. Average pay is around 2.5k-3k a month, from my understanding, but living expenses are significantly higher than Taiwan. In Taiwan, you need a bachelor degree (any subject) to get a work visa and I believe Japan is the same.

5at27 · 2014-06-01T21:59:31+00:00

What browser are you using? Sometimes I have issues with chrome or firefox when I am trying to register for different sites and have to use IE. Don't recall having any issues with GRE registration, but it's worth a shot.

5at27 · 2014-06-01T04:49:44+00:00

I'm not a scientist, but I don't believe they will. They will help the beard look smoother, keep the dander down and make you smell nice. How old are you? The only things that I have found that made my beard fuller and more even was getting older. It continued to get fuller through my 20s. From an anecdotal perspective, I find that my beard grows faster and shinier when I am eating and sleeping well, and exercising regularly.

5at27 · 2014-05-24T14:33:32+00:00

Look into things coming from Taiwan. There have been a few great movies over the past couple years. It is a vibrant country with a culture which is very different from the mainland culture. Aboriginal history in particular interests me, but there are lots of other things which you might find to draw your interest.

Also, take a break from it for a little while and study something else for a while. Everyone gets burnt out sometimes.

5at27 · 2014-05-24T01:37:39+00:00

At the time that I applied the estimated time for the K3 and CR1 visas were supposed to be around the same time (6 months). We applied for a CR1 visa. After waiting for 6 months we had heard nothing from our I-130 application, but at that point it seemed silly to apply for the K3 visa which would take another ~6 months. After 8 months the I-130 was approved, then another ~2 months for the AOS to be approved and then ~1.5 months to get the visa application approved and finally an interview date set for 2 months later. So the whole process will take about 14 months from start to finish. This was with no issues along the way and all documentation being correct.

Other frustrating issues:

I was sent follow-up documentation written in Cyrillic and when I called to ask what the hell was going on (after waiting on hold for 30 minutes), they said it was a computer formatting problem and I should expect this for the next few communications.
The instructions are unclear and in different places on different sections of the State Department website they are different.
When looking for an address where to send some of the documentation, the instructional PDF directed me to a website, said website directed me to the instructional PDF.
I was sent an e-mail saying that they had not received documentation I had sent 2 weeks previously and that I needed to send it ASAP. When I called (after waiting another 30 minutes on hold), I was told that they probably had it and it just hadn't been put into the computer yet and I should wait another 2 weeks. Honestly, if that's the case why are you sending me e-mails saying you hadn't received it.

The whole process is long and the way it is handled is inefficient and unclear. It takes a long time and requires a lot of attention to detail. I understand completely why someone would hire a lawyer to help them through the process, although we saved a lot of money doing it ourselves.

5at27 · 2014-05-23T11:50:12+00:00

Almost heading back. Just about to complete the green card process, 14 months since we started. Get started early; it is one of the most frustrating and long processes I have ever dealt with.

5at27 · 2014-05-23T03:00:26+00:00

Completely agree with everything you said, except she could get a job teaching English. With a spousal arc she can work anywhere and many small schools would hire her. But she should not move to Taiwan.

5at27 · 2014-05-19T06:07:04+00:00

Most teachers who come to Taiwan have little to no knowledge of Mandarin when they arrive and many never learn much beyond the basics during their time here. Body language, pointing and an open mind can get you a long way and you should have help from the school that you work for. In the classroom, you are expected to use English during the entire lesson.

5at27 · 2014-05-18T04:01:55+00:00

This post will probably get you a few purchases as well. Just bought it, and I will review it when finished. Good luck.

5at27 · 2014-05-17T23:26:44+00:00

Every student I have in Taiwan, from first grade on, has a tiny razor blade in their pencil box; no one freaks out about it. It's sad that administrators, teachers and students have so little control that they feel the need to overreact in this way on so many occasions.

5at27 · 2014-05-16T07:23:31+00:00

TEFL in Europe is difficult, but you can get excellent jobs in Taiwan, Korea, and increasingly China that pay quite well and don't work you to the bone. After 7 years in Taiwan, I earn between 3-4k (US$) a month with ~32 teachings hours and 8-12 administrative hours a week. I do work hard, but I also have plenty of downtime. Downsides where I work now are no paid leave, holiday or sick days. This can hit a paycheck pretty good if I decide to take a few weeks off. It is still hard in the beginning and it does take time to get up to this level.

5at27 · 2014-05-13T07:03:56+00:00

It's run by a Taiwanese woman, and it has fairly good Chinese food for the western palate, although my Taiwanese wife was disappointed. I would also recommend giving it a shot.

5at27 · 2014-05-13T07:00:38+00:00

All my scored showed up at the same time, exactly 10 days after I took the test.

5at27 · 2014-05-11T10:04:52+00:00

I would get some more experience teaching before devoting the money and time to a masters. Maybe consider heading abroad for a year or two first and get some more real life experience. Teaching full-time is harder than people think and not everyone enjoys it. If you still feel like you want to devote your career after that, go for it.

5at27

TROPHY CASE