End of the honeymoon

Yesterday I passed the two-month mark for my stay in Taiwan. I know from living abroad that the two-month mark is important because it’s the end of what I call the ‘honeymoon’ period- the time when everything seems new, exotic, and exciting. It’s also the moment that culture shock- that growing feeling of unease which creeps up on you- is most likely to strike.

On a brighter note, my Chinese skills have also crossed a threshold. I’m able to order simple things in restaurants and cafes without any trouble, and I can understand most of what my teacher says in class. I still have trouble when groups of native speakers have conversations, but that is normal.

Last Friday the scholarship students from Taipei had an orientation in a huge auditorium in the north part of town. We Taiwan Normal University students were sat on the balcony on the fourth floor, probably because we were so numerous. I was talking to Julie, a French girl I know, when Jerome, a Belgian, sat next to me. We started talking.

“Isn’t it weird that so many people are speaking Spanish here?” he asked.

I looked around. It was true that there were many people all around laughing and chatting in Spanish. The scene wasn’t new. In the school where I go, in the library or in the halls, it is common to hear people speaking Spanish. I didn’t think anything of it up until then, since there are many people from all over the world here, and Spanish speakers do tend to speak louder than, say, Asians.

“Isn’t it just because they are talking louder than everyone else?” I asked.

“I don’t know, maybe,” he replied.

Just then two people appeared on the stage, an Asian woman and a slightly taller man. The woman talked.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests…”

It was then that I noticed the dark suits sitting in the front rows.

“I will be your master of ceremonies for today, in English, and this man will be speaking in Spanish,” she motioned to the man.

“How come they don’t have a French master of ceremonies?” asked Jerome, somewhat jokingly.

So apparently there were more Spanish speakers than others. Then, when the first person, the President of our school, came to speak, everything became clear.

“I would like to introduce to you our distinguished guests. The Ambassador of the Marshall Islands, please stand up.”

“The Marshall Islands,” asked Jerome. “Where the hell is that?”

“It’s in the Pacific,” I replied.

The President continued. The Ambassadors of Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Belize, Nicaragua, Paraguay, The Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, Burkina Faso, Palau, Nauru, the Gambia, Swaziland, and Malawi were all present. These are the countries which have continued to have diplomatic relations with Taiwan (see Note below), essentially recognizing its status as a country separate from continental China.

I later learned that students from these countries all received extensive scholarships (lasting three to four years) as a token of gratitude from Taiwan- hence the numerous Spanish speakers.

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Note: Things like this remind me what a unique position Taiwan is in. An island of 22 million, Taiwan is essentially losing a diplomatic cold war against an ever-growing giant. As more and more countries seek to better relations with mainland China in order to increase trade, Taiwan is being alienated, politically at least. Still, since the island has a relatively developed economy, it cannot be completely ignored.