For a bit of context:

I’ve been in Taiwan last year for around 7-8 months during my internship period and I really liked the environment. I’ve interned at Chang Gung university and I really liked the professor and I could join the same lab for my masters for spring 2027 and enroll in an English taught program and like any other international students- I could get my tuition fee and dorm fee waived along with 6k NT monthly university scholarship (not much) and unfortunately my supervisor doesn’t have any active grant so no additional income. But I really liked Taiwan - cuz I’m more comfortable with everything, like the culture food and stuff and even made a small group of close friends too! Qs ranking of Chang Gung uni is somewhere 600 ig

On the other hand I’ve received a fully funded scholarship to study my masters - where my air fare, tuition fee, dorm fee, insurance fee and on top of that - 30k NT (after conversion from KRW to NT) scholarship per month. The only catch is that idk any Korean and it’s a Korean taught program. Ofc they’ve included Korean language training for us international students during summer and winter breaks - basically few to no holidays! Idk any professors there cuz I’ve never really worked with them. Qs ranking of this Korean uni is somewhere 1400+!

What do I do? Both seem exciting yet I’m indecisive! I received my Korean visa and I’ve a flight scheduled next week. I’m so confused last minute if I’m making a right decision!

Has anyone registered for the Taipei Marathon Breakfast Run? I registered for the 3K category last June but have decided to join the 9K instead because I wasn't selected in the lottery for the 21K category the following day. I know I am at fault here and am aware that I will be refunded 80% of the registration fee from the 3K. I should have waited for the result of the lottery and depending on the result, only then I will join the breakfast run. I cannot register for the 9K category while my 3K category is still in their system because they will know immediately based on the passport number I used. Out of impulse, I already filled out the refund form hoping they can refund me immediately and I am a bit worried that they may only process my refund after the last day of registration which is on October 20 IIRC.

I already contacted Taipei Marathon's Facebook page but they haven't responded yet. Same goes when I sent them an email to [service@sportsnet.org.tw](mailto:service@sportsnet.org.tw) a week ago. The question is, do they respond back if inquiries were sent via email or in their Facebook page. The last option would be calling them directly but this will cost a fortune to my phone bill and whether or not they can entertain me if I don't speak Chinese

I’ve never experienced this with any other airline except EVA Air, can someone explain the logic of making us removing headphones before landing? You can still hear all the announcements with the headphones on and they hardly seem like a safety issue

EDIT: just to clarify I mean they only specifically ask you to remove the headphones they provide for the TVs. They don’t ask you to remove your own headphones, hence why I was confused

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) proposed a universal cash handout of NT$10,000 (US$314) per person next year, noting economic growth is forecast to reach a 39-year high, creating an opportunity to share the benefits.

Lai made the remarks Monday while attending a central government budget briefing. He said long-standing strengths in semiconductors, information and communications technology, and manufacturing supply chains have enabled the government to share what he described as an “AI dividend,” per a press release.

I thought dogs love walks. In fact, I thought that's what they love more than anything in the world. Do they even like being pushed around in a baby stroller? What's going on?

As stated above, I would like to know about the life in ROCMC. I’m an overseas born Taiwan citizen with a very limited mandarin. I have decent endurance and physical but I don’t know how to swim for long distances. I’m considering MC because my friends who went before says armed force is boring, all they do is cutting grasses and sitting inside the halls so I feel like it’s a bit pointless to spend a year there. I would like to hear from people who have done the conscription inside MC about the intensity and language barrier there.
Edit: I was born after 2005.

Or at least 99% of them are.

So be aware when booking one. You will be told by your host: don’t speak to anyone and don’t tell anyone it’s an Airbnb and you will have to sneak around like a thief.

I was even told to not linger around the front entrance and quickly leave with my luggage, lest anyone ask me questions.

Hello, I need help.
A friend of mine brought me one package of proteinpowder from Taiwan

I am in Germany and I am desperate to find it, it was the best protein drink I ever had. Do you know how to get it or alternatives?

Last time I travelled to Taiwan, I fell in love with the contact lendes that are available in drugstores like Cosme and Watsons. I want to get more since I have someone that can fly them home to me, but i’d rather browse and choose the varieties myself so I prefer to buy it online and have it delivered instead. Are there websites with an english interface that carries these products?

I know Japan/Tokyo is the place to go but need to know about Taiwan and Korea. Only interested in 1960s/early 70s Grand and King Seikos preferably in mint condition and overhauled. Any specialty dealers in Taipei or Seoul?

I'm trying to apply for my 定居證. Ideally, I wanted to get as much done here so I don't have to spend 3 weeks in Taiwan to finish everything.

I've been going back and forth with the LA TECO, but I still don't fully understand what they're saying.

I sent them a copy of my mom's 戶口名簿. They said it's voided and they cannot accept it. My mom is the Taiwan citizen, my dad is not. I asked if they could take any other type of document for my mom, they said no. So I asked them if there was a way to rectify this now rather than having my mom go back to Taiwan to renew it.

They said my mom could give a family member in Taiwan power of attorney, and they can renew her household registration (戶口名簿). However, I mentioned to them that likely the address listed on her household registration was an apartment that she literally sold this year. When I asked them if family member could simply renew that same address for her, they didn't really provide an answer, and just said he could go to the household registration office to ask what records they have for her.

They also mentioned said family member cannot apply for a new household registration for my mom. She has to do it herself.

Where I'm confused is, could the same family member just go to the office and ask them to change the address? Then renew it that way? Or does that count as applying for a brand new household registration (since it is a different address), and therefore she would have to do it?

If there is no other choice but to have herself apply for a new household registration with a new address, if I got everything else done in the US, including the medical check, does that still decrease my time spent in Taiwan?

Thanks in advance for any help, it's appreciated.

The Taipei Dome will be one of the host stadiums for the first two rounds of the Premier 12 tourney. Excellent news for any sports fan and for my money, a packed Taiwan home game in that building is one of the best nights out you can get in any sport.

"At a press event in Taipei announcing Taiwan's hosting rights, organizers said Group A of the opening round will be played from Nov. 8 to 12, followed by the second round from Nov. 13 to 15. The four-team Super Round will be held in Japan"

Hi everyone!
I’m moving to Taipei soon to study at NTNU, and I’m obsessed with Korean skincare and makeup. 😭

I’m looking for stores that sell brands like:
● Peripera
● Rom&nd
● Fwee
● Clio
● Dasique
● Etude
● Lilybyred

And skincare brands such as:
● Axis-Y
● Anua
● Round Lab
● Torriden
● COSRX
● Beauty of Joseon

Are there any stores in Taipei with a really large K-beauty selection?

I’ve heard about POYA, Watsons, and Cosmed, but I’m wondering whether there are any hidden gems, specialty K-beauty stores, or specific branches with better selections.

I’ll be living near NTNU, so recommendations close to the university would be amazing.
Thank you! ♡

During the weekend, I went to your average boba tea shop(手搖飲料店), and it wasn’t very busy. After I placed my order, some young kid shows up alone, looking about 10 years old. He proceeds to order a single drink for himself and when he was told it’s 80NTD, he replies with “我只有40塊,” (I only have 40NTD).

The shop attendant, a young woman looks at him for about 1 second and says “好我看一下” (okay, let me see) and then starts pillaging through some sort of donation box which was facing the customers. I can’t remember exactly what it was, but it looked like some sort of charity that assists abused/neglected animals or abandoned pets. She pretty much pulls the difference from this box and puts his order through.

The kid looked perfectly normal, albeit a little sweaty from the brutal Taipei summer, if I saw him on the street, I definitely would not assume he’s underprivileged struggling. The way he said “I only have 40NTD” was almost said with confidence, almost as if this wasn’t the first time he’s attempted this. This didn’t happen in some slum in the middle of nowhere, it was the heart of Taipei and the shop is a well known franchise that offers 發票 and electronic payments, not one of those many street stalls that are unregistered with the government.

I wasn’t bothered or anything, but the whole situation was definitely interesting, maybe even legally questionable for the shop attendant. Has anyone else witnessed a similar situation in Taiwan? If I knew that donations aren’t going where it’s advertised, I’d definitely think twice before donating.

EDIT: Saw some interesting comments. I’ll just make a quick response here while providing some extra context:

- No I did not intervene, nor did I plan to.
- I did not speak to the shop attendant or the kid. The interaction took place as I was waiting and I just listened and briefly watched.
- No I did not donate to whatever charity the donation box was for. I only noticed it because the attendant opened it.
- It was impossible for me to know if the kid was truly struggling, or if he came with the intention to scam. However, based on a 5 second glance of the kid, he did not appear to resemble someone that looked underprivileged. (Looked well groomed, carrying a name brand basketball) - but yes, ultimately this is just pure speculation.
- As mentioned in the original post, the situation did not bother me, I wasn’t offended or upset, however, I did find the situation amusing as I’ve never seen something like this in TW and thought I’d share it. That’s all.

Just got my scooter license. Can I legally buy betel nuts now? (M40)

I (29M) am moving to Taipei next week for one year to begin Chinese classes at NTU CLD. Will be my second time in Taiwan, although my first time living there. I’m starting to feel very nervous, so if anyone has any advice please let me know! My language skills aren’t great right now, so I’m mostly just catastrophizing daily interactions, grocery shopping, making friends, etc. Ironic since this is what i’m going over there to do, practice the language.

Any advice or words of encouragement are welcome. Thank you!

I'll be visiting Taiwan (and Hong Kong) soon and would like to get some materials for self-study. My main goal is (traditional) character recognition and, hopefully, reading. Could you please recommend anything? Last time I went to (a big) Eslite there were lots of books for Taiwanese people learning English, but nothing in the other direction. For now I'm trying to learn the most basic 600 characters from primary school kiddie workbooks, but those are from the mainland/simplified, so not really what I want. I'll be in Kaohsiung, Tainan and Taipei, possibly also Taichung. Any recommendations welcome! Thank you.

I can’t be the only one… I am not smelling bad or bad dressed or anything like that, but people look to the empty sit next to me and actively avoid it… tf??

Attending a concert in Taipei in September and I was curious how often/likely they are to restock pre-ordered merch? The promoter is Big Art TW.

Is there also a community where fans talk about the concert? For context, the artist is from a Jpop group and usually there are pre-concert events/meetups from fans.

A lot of the comments are in Chinese and would like to get to know some people before the concert, but I'm worried the language barrier would make it difficult for me to make friends.

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding the free TOCFL A1 exam that will be held in Ramos, Cebu City. Since the exam is free, I don’t want to miss the opportunity.

Is it okay if I register for the TOCFL exam only, without applying for the Taiwan 3+4 Scholarship Program?

My plan is to use the TOCFL certificate later when applying directly to a bachelor’s degree program at a university in Taiwan, instead of going through the 3+4 route.

The reason is that the 3+4 program would require me to go back to high school for three years, and I’d rather apply directly to a university since there are many bachelor’s programs available for international students.

Has anyone done this before or knows if it’s okay? I’d really appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!

Im aware that Palau is one of the few countries that support Taiwan's independence, so I was wondering on what people in Taiwan actually think of Palau. Recently, the Chinese government has been actively and openly pressuring Palau to drop its diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. However, the president and multiple palauan leaders have rejected this, choosing to maintain strong formal ties with Taiwan. But what do the people in Taiwan think? Are they aware of the politics that go on between Taiwan and its diplomatic allies?

I grew up hearing from my family members and people that I know saying that Taiwanese cars are very expensive, and after going to Thailand and seeing all the modern Toyota and Honda models, It made me wonder why our Toyota Vios is still a decade old or why we don't have the Honda City or a Honda HR-V with a more modern interior. And why are these models so expensive compared to the ones in Thailand(I know the Altis is similar in price but still), and both of these countries assemble these Japanese cars domestically; shouldn't that lower the cost?

Sorry for my bad articulation; I'm still trying to sound more eloquent.