Naked Dude in the Sauna

Fun economic fact for the day: Many things are cheap in Taiwan. Food is no exception. However Western foods cost about the same as they would back home. Thus in Taiwan, ketchup is about $3 Can whereas a pack of cigarettes would only cost you a loonie (one dollar for the americans out there). There you have it. Ketchup is officially more expensive than cigarettes. Welcome to the other side of the world.

On to todays post. One particular incident this week has inspired me to write about being exotic in a very homogenuis society. When something is different it often gets special treatment which can be nice but also unwelcoming

So at one point in our lives we've probably all felt like a minority. In high school I used to wonder how the six or seven black kids felt being constantly surrounded by a sea of white faces. Sticking out like a sour thumb is something I get to experience here on the daily. While Canada and America are made up of people of all different skin colours, races, and religions, Taiwan is 99.99% made up of Taiwanese people. I can not stress this enough. Everyone Is Taiwanese! Rarely is there any variation in hair, skin, or eye colour among the people. In the beginning it was really wierd for me. To look everywhere and see nothing but Taiwanese people everywhere. This casued my dear friend Avi to burst out laughing while at a bar during the first ten days or so we were here. I dont blame him at all. A totaly appropiate reaction to an absurd change in situations. What's wierd is how I have addapted. I dont even notice that everyone is taiwanese anymore. I can see their facial features and tell them apart. More importantly, I dont even think about the fact that the person i am talking to or teaching is taiwanese. I dont feel as ostrasized as I did in the beginning. I feel fairly comfortable. I hope this is something I can take home with me and preserve the rest of my life.

When it comes to how others perceive me that is a different story. Coming from such a homogenius society, its rare that they see something that looks so different. When i asked some of my older kids if they have every seen a black person their response was "yes teecha one time on TV". In addition to this, my hairy arms are a huge source of wonderment for my kids. I can see the temptation in their eyes to touch my arms when i am casually sitting in the back trying to mark their homework. So you get the point. I stick out. Because of this I am often privy to alot of special attention.

Sometimes the attention can be harmless. Like when your walking down the street and you have people shouting "HELLO!" at you. Sometimes the attention can be flattering when girls go out of their ways to approach you when your riding on a bus, or when you go into a bakery and all the girls giggle at the one who is brave enough to try to speak English with you. Sometimes the attention is welcome. This weekend I went to play pickup basketball at the local university. Being the only foreigner there, everyone was extremely friendly, made sure my shit didnt get stolen, made sure i didnt die of dehydration (there are few water fountains here as the tap water is undrinkable), and were very interested in where i was coming from and what i was doing here.

Unfortuneately there are instances, where the attention is inappropiate and unwanted. This last Monday, I was bone tired from having subbed kindy (kindergarten) at a different school (which was much better than mine) for the morning. With some time to kill in the afternoon, I headed for the gym for some R & R in the hot tub just to relax. Soon i was approached by a Taiwanese guy my age who was overly friendly and just wanted to talk. He wouldnt leave me alone, and eventually started to talk about how beautiful he thought my body was. After informing him that I was married, I excused myself and went into the sauna to try to get some time to myself to take a nap. After waiting five minutes, the guy followed me and continued to talk about how much he loved my body and what excersices i have done to get it that way. I indulged him for a little while until he asked me if he can touch my chest. "No you cant." I left the sauna 2 minutes later and went to take a shower, the only place i was guarenteed refuge from this guy who wouldnt give me my space.

So there you have it, being a foreigner in Taiwan is kinda like being a celebrerty or really attractive girl. People are constantly approaching you interested in who you are and what your deal is. I think most of us would agree that attention can be quite nice, but theres defineately a fine line that seperates it from being welcome and obnoxious. Its a fine line thats well worth understanding.