Due to some work related circumstances, I am in Taiwan now. This is supposed to be a short trip of less than 2 months, but knowing fully the reason why I am here (Project firefighting), I am sure I will working from Taipei in the near future.
I am very impressed with what they have here in Taiwan. A small island with some 20 million people. And it impresses in the first look. Be it the Airport, or roads, or the modernity of Taipei city or the Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world, thats is visible from practically any point in the city. The feel is that of a country that has been prosperous for quiet sometime( Taiwan was one of the first Asian tiger economy), unlike other countries of the region.
But what impresses most is the people of Taiwan. Extremely gentle, friendly, and very hard working people. In my one week of stay here, the impression I get is people are generally happy and contented. Presence of police is minimal, and the city feels safe.
At the client office, what I realized in last one week or so is, They are extremely hard working people. You can not impress them by just working late nights/weekends/overtime because here every one seems to do the same. What you need is smart solutions. Lets see how I fare on that point.
Taiwanese people have a good impression of India. During my discussions with some I found the major reason is the IT work we do. Also some have referred to the origins of Buddhism in India.
On the downside , very few people know English. And it makes it very difficult to communicate. Asking for a spoon or a fork instead of Chopsticks is an exercise in communication skills (and dancing skills because of all the gestures you have to make to explain a spoon and a fork).
The weather here has been cold ( 5-9 Deg C) with strong winds and clouds hovering all the time. Its been raining almost continuously and I haven’t seen sunlight during my one week stay yet. People say it will be like this for next 6 weeks or so. That sends shivers !
Lots of Indians who were here before me warned me that I will not like the food. But to be true I like what I have eaten here. Its a little bland but very healthy. Anyways I enjoy eating different kinds of food so this is least of my worries.
My personal todo list has following items for the coming week or so:
1. Learn basic Mandarin quickly.
2. Learn how to use chopsticks ( yes I don’t know how to use them properly)
3. See Taipei 101.
4. Get used to eating true Taiwanese food.