I read somewhere that there will always be a career decision that will haunt us for life, as we might have missed great opportunities because of it. For me, that decision was putting my Mandarin lessons on hold for a long time. I stopped attending formal Chinese classes because I didn’t have anyone who could talk to me in the language. I only took it up because I thought that it would be useful one day. When I couldn’t find an immediate use for it, I moved on to taking up certification courses and a graduate degree that I needed to progress in my occupational therapy career.
Well, early this year, I had an opportunity to go to Taiwan with my family. And oh boy, did I love it! The country resonated with me a lot more than what I expected. Because I enjoyed Taiwan immensely, I now wish that I kept on attending Chinese classes so I can work as an occupational therapist (OT) in Taiwan one day. It will be great if I can be an OT there because aside from the fact that such a progressive country can equip me with better professional skills, Taiwan’s different culture will be helpful in nurturing my creativity. Alas, I only resumed my formal Mandarin lessons during the pandemic when there were very few activities that we could engage in. While I’m better at the language now, I’m still far from being proficient enough to pass Taiwan’s occupational therapy board exams in Chinese.
But I’ll definitely visit Taiwan again, the Lord willing! Here are the 3 things that I enjoyed about it that I know you will love too:
# 3 The beautiful environment
The air was fresh (but I didn’t like the smell of stinky tofu, sorry) and the streets were mostly clean, including the alleys. The tourist spots were quite pretty! I particularly loved Jiufen because of the lovely architecture decked with lanterns and surrounded by lush mountains.
# 2 The rich Taiwanese culture
From the food to the aesthetics to the hospitality of the people, there is much that Taiwan can offer that is incredibly underrated. I loved that the spices on the food tasted just right. It was like they could make the natural flavors of the food come out instead of filling the cuisine with condiments to force them to have taste, which a lot of Filipinos tend to do with our local food.
Moreover, the Taiwanese are very accommodating. I found it odd at first that they were a lot quieter than Filipinos and Westerners. But if you ask them for help, they’re ready to assist you and they’ll do their best to speak to you in English to make you feel more comfortable. Thankfully, the little Mandarin that I know came in handy. It was fascinating how the people opened up to me more when I spoke to them in their language despite my difficulty with it.
# 1 The integrity of the Taiwanese people
If there is one thing about Taiwan that won my heart completely, it’s the sense of honor among the Taiwanese. At one point, I left my luggage unattended in some corner while we were buying from a kiosk—but no one stole it! I also greatly appreciate the lady in the food joint who pointed out to us that the steak that we wanted cost a lot more than what we thought. She could’ve profited off us by turning a blind eye to the fact that we didn’t realize that the food was quite expensive. Yet she advised us to reconsider our order so we could save money. I admire that!
The affordable prices of different goods and services were also commensurate with their high quality. In fact, I felt like we got more than what we paid for. I remember these huge bowls of yummy beef noodles that we got to order for a few Taiwanese dollars. Moreover, the price of the hotel where we stayed was worth it and there were so many high-quality inexpensive products at the night market. I also thank our tour guide who not only shared with us many fascinating facts about Taiwan but also served as my Mandarin tutor for the day.
In other words, I never felt like I was getting cheated out of my money. Because of the people’s honesty, Taiwan will make you want to go back and enjoy their country all the more. This is also why I want to work in Taiwan as an OT. I feel like their healthcare facilities will strive to be fair to both the health workers and the service users. Moreover, there are many healthcare practices that we can learn from this country because of the people’s integrity.
A Culture of Honor
I wish the Philippines was more like Taiwan. We Filipinos have the innate talent and intelligence to succeed the way this beautiful nation-state has. The problem is that we do not have a culture of honor. For me, our lack of integrity stems a lot from our codependency on our families. We want to give our relatives what they think they need at the expense of morality. And so we have:
Healthcare workers feigning expertise in areas outside of their scope of practice
Health facilities overcharging for interventions with questionable effectiveness
Trolls working with hostile foreign governments that want to invade our country
I would like the Philippines to prosper like Taiwan. But perhaps we’re not ready for it. Can you imagine the diabolical schemes that we’ll get entangled with if we Filipinos have both the ability and the money to spawn more evil?
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