Just had another reminder today that we're not truly in the Developed World as air raid sirens went off and people and cars were pulled off of the streets. No, it wasn't our friends from the mainland making a surprise appearance, it was just a drill.
From noon until 12:30, there was no traffic, pedestrian or vehicular on the streets. The only sound was the occasional police, fire or ambulance siren, after the initial air raid sirens were silenced. My wife and I managed to make it to Subway before things shut down, but some people were caught outside and had to sit tight until the all clear siren was sounded. This would have been OK if the weather had been dry. However, the sky had a pregnant look all morning and just as the siren sounded its water broke.
The Taiwanese seem to have this misconception, born out of an overblown sense of self importance, that the rest of the world gives a rat's ass about their relationship/conflict with China.
For some reason they think that their quarrel is always at the forefront of our political discussions. I figure that it's just another symptom of the Middle Kingdom Syndrome, that all Chinese are afflicted with to one degree or another.
When we first visited here in'97, the exchange rate was NT $20 to CDN $1, but it now sits at NT $31 to CDN $1. I even contemplated taking a leave of abscence and take up teaching again for $50 an hour. The wage per hour is now the same, but there is a shitty exchange rate, and more bureacracy. All of this and the fact that if you get screwed over, you have no where and no one to turn to for assistance.
Should the opportunity present itself, we'll gladly return to Canada. Currently we're looking at the Yukon, but an area serviced by a highway, and only a couple hours from White Horse.
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1 comment:
The Alaska Highway you mean?
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