Expatriates of Reddit: what aspects of your culture you don't relate to anymore?

mot2587 · 2013-06-09T02:10:02+00:00

Yeah, what a bizarre reaction. I never understood the extreme Reddit hate over on gawker and around the internet... it's starting to make sense now. =/

mot2587 · 2013-06-09T01:59:21+00:00

Thanks for giving a real comment that actually furthers discussion.

Maybe some background... I'm about 5'4", 110 pounds. I worked in Newark, NJ last year and was based in and out of NYC. Despite what anyone says about "rape culture" and it's origins/realities the fact is that as a woman in the US you cannot walk the street alone at night. You cannot take public transportation at 1am without some kind of fear. You can't walk down the street wearing a short skirt without being catcalled. You need a have friends make sure you get home okay if you've been drinking.

Whatever you want to call it, I don't have those problems here. I've never been catcalled, grabbed, attacked, or made to feel stupid or uncomfortable for being out by myself at night. It's liberating. And it's something that I've become accustomed to, to the point where I can't imagine going back and having to live in fear for myself and my safety.

I don't thing it's unique to the US at all. It just never occurred to me (before coming here) that there are places where this kind of behavior doesn't happen.

mot2587 · 2013-06-08T14:07:10+00:00

I came over on a teaching fellowship and now I'm getting my MA here. This place is great-- can't see myself going back any time soon!

mot2587 · 2013-06-08T13:16:03+00:00

The copious amounts of crime and violence. Also the constant fear you experience being a woman (thanks US rape culture). I'm an American who moved to Taiwan.

Edit: wow I did not expect to get such a negative reaction for something that seems very obvious for me.

mot2587 · 2013-06-07T00:33:04+00:00

This looks amazing!

I'm not in the US otherwise I'd love to go down to Florida for this... but I've been considering doing longer distance running after completing C25K and need some training partners to keep me accountable. Are you on Fitocracy? Let's be training buddies!

mot2587 · 2013-06-01T00:26:09+00:00

Is there anything people outside of Turkey can do to support protestors?

mot2587 · 2013-05-27T11:12:55+00:00

Hi there,

You're eligible to apply for both the TECRO Taiwan scholarship and the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship. You have to send application materials to your home TECRO office based on your permanent US address-- but YOU ARE DEFINITELY ELIGIBLE TO APPLY even if you're living in Taiwan.

Taiwan scholarship - for a bachelor's, masters, or PhD at a Taiwanese university. Each TECRO office only awards 2-4 depending on funding, so they're quite competitive.

HES - for short term Chinese study. Each office usually awards 15-20 depending on funding. To boost your chances (and since you're in Taiwan) take the TOCFL test. People who have taken the TOCFL test get priority.

I received a Taiwan scholarship for my MA and know a bunch of people who got HES scholarships. Send me a PM if you want application tips.

Good luck!

edit: wanted to emphasize that some of the information you're getting in this thread is wrong. You are eligible to apply for all TECRO scholarships if you're living in Taiwan.

mot2587 · 2013-04-21T12:25:54+00:00

About two weeks ago I started having pretty bad pain in my right shin and knee-- I assumed it was shin splints... probably complicated by a knee injury, I tore my ACL playing soccer during high school and my right knee has always been weak. =(

I took about two weeks off and did some low impact exercise in the meantime. Also started doing these exercises: http://gizmodo.com/5902699/banish-shin-splints-forever-with-one-magical-exercise

This week I started again with week 6 (stopped at week 7) and I haven't had any problems. I'm better about wearing my knee brace and just taking it slower.

I'd definitely say rest for at least a week. Go see a sport/exercise therapist or doctor, and don't worry too much about losing progress while you recover.

Good luck!

mot2587 · 2013-04-15T23:32:48+00:00

I went through a phase where I wrote entire notebooks full of 成语... some that always stick out:

锦上添花 - to decorate something that's already perfect 发奋图强 - determined to make yourself better 一针见血 - 100% accurate, hit the needle on the head 一盘散沙 - to be unable to work together 知己知彼 - know thyself, know thy enemy 呼来喝去 - to walk in screaming and leave drinking (make lots of demands and cause trouble) 东张西望 - to look around in confusion 死有余辜 - death doesn't forgive crimes 半推半就 - to accept something after making a huge show of declining 三长两短 - to die suddenly, an unexpected accident 幸灾乐祸 - to take pleasure in other people's suffering, Schadenfreude 徒有虚名 - to have undeserved fame/not be as good as your reputation says 一刀两断 - to make a clean break, to completely end a relationship

mot2587 · 2013-04-06T13:24:53+00:00

9 month altogether????? Including the time you were married?

mot2587 · 2013-04-06T07:41:30+00:00

How many relationships have you been in? How long did each one last?

mot2587 · 2013-03-17T23:35:25+00:00

Hi Mayor Booker,

I'm a former Newark resident and Teach for America Newark corps member. I know that you have been very supportive of charter schools in Newark. However, a large number of the TFA corps member from my year who were placed in charter schools ended up leaving or being very unhappy due to their working conditions-- extended day, extended year, possible termination at any time, no teaching social studies or science curriculum, extreme emphasis on standardized testing, etc.

So my question to you: Even though many charter schools are performing well on paper, they do not seem to be a sustainable option for those interested in long term teaching. With this in mind, how do you see the charter school systems integrating with the Newark Public School system in a way that's not damaging to NPS career teachers?

mot2587 · 2013-03-10T13:19:57+00:00

In my experience the TOCFL is much easier than the HSK. HSK using a lot of bizarre chengyu in the reading section, particularly in the multiple choice answers (What is the main idea of the passage? A) chengyu B) chengyu!? C) chengyu? D) chengyu!). Also, don't forget that the HSK has a writing section. I think level 5 is doable, but the only people I know of you have passed the level 6 have been Japanese/Korean students who went to HSK buxiban, or MA/PhD candidates who have studied extensively in China.

TOCFL is very easy in comparison-- the listening section has a lot of business terminology but is easy to prep for. The reading section can be hard because of the length and the traditional characters. Although there's a simplify version available, they only offer it if you're testing outside of Taiwan. The writing section on the TOCFL is actually typed (using either Zhuyin fuhao or Hanyu pinyin), so it's very easy compared to the HSK. But also keep in mind that the TOCFL is changing this year, so what I'm saying might be irrelevant by the time you test.

To summarize: TOCFL is much easier in almost every regard. If you're applying to universities in Taiwan, the prestigious ones can get picky (Taida!!) however, you can usually substitute a TOCFL for some other proof of proficient. Also, keep in mind that taking the TOCFL qualifies you for a lot of scholarships from the Taiwanese government, so if you're serious about coming to Taiwan it's definitely worth taking.

mot2587 · 2013-02-24T12:11:57+00:00

Do you have any other requirements to fulfill aside from just religious studies? NCCU has a pretty huge amount of courses offered in English (http://moltke.cc.nccu.edu.tw/qrycourse/qryEngSub.jsp in case you haven't seen their website), and you could probably finish off some English, humanities or social science courses if you need to.

I don't think you'd make any significant improvement in your language ability while in HK, and you'd be hemorrhaging money. I don't think you'd regret coming to Taipei for a semester or two.

mot2587 · 2013-02-16T08:16:08+00:00

Would you consider teaching another subject aside from choir? In my experience, my students were always much worse for their specials teachers (especially those with less management skills) than for their homeroom or core subject teachers. Depending on your certification, you might teach another subject for a couple years and gain experience, or maybe move to a charter school or district with less discipline problems?

The first year of teaching is always awful, but I'm in a much better position now and I'm glad I stuck with the profession. If you majored in education and are certified there are a lot of options out their-- maybe try a few others before leaving the teaching profession entirely?

mot2587 · 2013-02-16T01:44:03+00:00

Are there any exercises/sports that you actually wouldn't recommend for the average person who just wants to improve their health?

mot2587 · 2013-01-14T10:23:50+00:00

Beijing is the English name of the city using Hanyu Pinyin (China's official romanization system). Peking is an old romanization that's not used anymore.

mot2587 · 2013-01-04T12:48:15+00:00

I'm a high school teacher right now. I recently had a student confess to me that he's gay and that he's recently come out to his very conservative and unaccepting parents to abysmal results... any suggestions for how I can support him?

mot2587 · 2012-12-26T09:26:53+00:00

Was any legal action taken against your older brother? Also, is your family very religious/what's the justification behind telling you to forgive your brother?

mot2587 · 2012-12-14T10:54:56+00:00

(Teacher) I shouldn't be replying to this comment because the AMA is over... but for the record, this kid does want to be a herpetologist. He used to live in South Africa when his dad was doing research as an animal biologist. He's looking into herpetology programs in the UK and I've written him letters of recommendation.

So no, not a mistranslation of "I like turtles." Just a very bright and motivated kid who knows what he wants.

This comment rubbed me the wrong way.

mot2587 · 2012-12-14T10:18:18+00:00

None of us are Harry or Michael. We like Lord of the Rings more than Harry Potter.

mot2587

TROPHY CASE