Living Alone in Taiwan | Life in Taiwan

[@yunghuang6028]

I just came across your videos. I like your personality and how you present your thoughts. I wish you could put subtitles on your videos so that more Taiwanese people would be able to know you and learn English at the same time by watching your videos.

[@ryfree]

Hello and welcome to my channel. Thanks for your suggestion.

[@artugert]

I can relate and have had similar experiences, except the divorce part. I tend to prefer to be alone, but when I’ve spent years living alone far from everything and everyone I knew, and after a while it gets lonely. Now, I’m married with kids, and there’s no privacy or time to myself anymore, which is hard, but it won’t last forever.

[@ryfree]

Thank you for sharing your experience! I have also vacillated between the two extremes and find they both come with their own perks and drawbacks as well. Nothing lasts, if there's one thing to count on it's that.

[@jaymarvillas4251]

Hi, Ryan. Been watching your vids. I am an aspiring FET and currently waiting for my interview results. I wonder if you know your MBTI. I love the way you express your thoughts. 😊

[@ryfree]

Hello there Jay! Thank you so much for your kind compliment. It's been awhile since I tried the MBTI test and I don't quite remember what I got but I definitely border between introverted and extroverted. Good luck in your FET goals and hope you find something great.

[@PsychoGemini]

It can be really isolating living alone. The last Airbnb I was at was nice to have mostly to myself but man, it really got to me towards the end and it didn't help that I was on the far end of town. And the buses to that area were not frequent. The current place I'm staying while older and kinda run down has a wonderful host along with her father and the company has made a difference despite the language barrier. Being in the middle of the city near the train station helps big time too. BTW Premiere FINALLY contacted me recently and I sent them my documents. I also got stuff in the pipeline with Teach Taiwan already and was asked if I was interested in Taichung. The wait for these possible contracts in Aug. is a killer and I have to nab something in the meanwhile to put cash in the bank. I got a paid demo to do in Chiayi County on Monday afternoon so we'll see how that goes.

[@ryfree]

I know exactly what you mean, the location of where you live and what type of neighbors you have can make a huge difference. There are some communities that don't even feel like communities and others where those short friendly waves and hellos make all the difference in the world. Glad to hear that you got some options for next school year. Please let Premiere know that 'Ryan sent me' if you don't mind. I'll get a small bonus if they hire you (but nothing out of your end). Regardless of what happens, keep me informed as I'm rooting for you. I hope you find a nice little gig to tide you over financially my friend.

[@PsychoGemini]

The demo class yesterday in Dalin Township, Chiayi County went surprisingly well despite me being nervous for a 90 minute class with no breaks. The township is a dump but that academy was really nice with a computer and a smartboard in the classroom. And I had help from the Taiwanese teacher who posted the job. I've also been subbing under the table for a local academy here in Tainan and the place isn't the greatest, but the classes are only an hour each and any scratch I can make to float me through the week is welcome. I will definitely mention you at the interview with Premiere on the 25th. Truth be told I'm pretty done with Phoenix Group Asia cause I'm tired of the miscommunications and jobs falling through. It's a shame because I've known the head of the company for a few years now and she's really nice but I feel the agency has gone down the tubes since she moved to the US. Teach Taiwan and so far Premiere have been really quick and professional in their communications with me and I respect that. Here's hoping this year finally starts to ease up on me because the first quarter has been really rough.

[@TravelingTice]

Hey Ryan! Very interesting video, as I can relate to quite a few things. Like for example wanting to go out to meet people but also feeling the strain of maybe not knowing if it's going to be a good interaction or not.. I just came back from a 3-week solo-trip in Australia and although I met a lot of old friends from 5 years ago when I did a working holiday there, I definitely had bounds of time when I felt exactly the same. Came back to Taiwan yesterday and realised I'm quite grateful for the relationship I have with my girlfriend and the fact we're living together.. Anyways, maybe we can arrange some weekend again to meet.. I could come down to Kaohsiung or maybe you could come up here and we can do some nice hiking as I live close to Alishan! Got some amazing hiking trails up here

[@ryfree]

Tice! Yeah, although our situation is slightly different we share a lot of similarities in those regards. I've had some amazing solo journeys that were filled with lonely moments as well. I love the idea of meeting up with you again and am very interested in checking out the trails in your neck of the woods. Hope you're off to a great week!

[@tajcoffee1908]

Great video once again!

[@ryfree]

My appreciation for watching as always!

[@chowzisiong7800]

How would you describe yourself on the introversion-extroversion spectrum?

[@ryfree]

I've done the Meyers Briggs test a few times and I come out introverted some times and extroverted some times. I would say I'm right down the middle.

[@Odd-Odd-World]

I recognize that shirt. Looking good my friend. Definitely don’t pet those monkeys. Recipe for disaster. The loneliness conundrum is a tough one for guys like us. We want companionship yet also want to be left alone on a mountain. Hard to strike a balance. Will always be a challenge

[@ryfree]

I think you're absolutely right, t'will always be a challenge for gents made like us. Luckily the mountains are there when we need them. And I'll definitely keep a healthy distance from the monkeys although Todd in the comments suggested petting my own which I might do right now lol.

[@Odd-Odd-World]

LOL!!!

[@kostyashoomsky4201]

How's the situation in Taiwan these days? You ever feel homesick?

[@ryfree]

There have been a few earthquakes but things seem pretty normal (for Taiwan) here. Yes, there are days when I do miss home and think about heading back.

[@kostyashoomsky4201]

​@@ryfree As far as I know, the main language that they speak in Taiwan is Mandarin. I wonder, is it difficult to communicate with people without the knowledge of Mandarin? How many Thais can actually speak English? Just being curious here.

[@ryfree]

@@kostyashoomsky4201 Surprisingly quite a few people here speak some English so you can always survive without Mandarin but knowing the local language helps a lot.

[@蘇詠然]

Probably it's the time to disturb you again! 😂 I feel alone even I have family here.

[@ryfree]

Well if it helps feel better, I've felt loneliness in my hometown as well. I think it just happens to many of us at certain times and under certain conditions no matter where we are. Thank you for sharing!

[@Diana_Free]

I could see how living alone would have its ups and downs. I don’t know how you manage without a pet lol. At least your girlfriend will visit you soon. What kind of trivia game did you guys play? That’s interesting that people are petting the monkeys. I say go for it, but maybe choose a smaller one that doesn’t seem aggressive.

[@ryfree]

Thank you Sis, yeah it definitely has its ups and down but salvation in the form of a nice woman is coming my way soon lol. I'm not sure if you know what a 'pub quiz' or 'trivia night' is, but basically imagine groups of people coming up with funny group names and answering trivia questions that a MC asks, all while drinking and socializing. I used to actually do the MC work in L.A. and it's a total blast on both sides of the mic. I suck at trivia though to be honest lol. I'll let you know about the monkeys...

[@Diana_Free]

@@ryfree Haha, that is good, bro 😄 Oh cool! I never knew that was a thing. That sounds like a blast. I bet you were great on the mic 🎤 I would think you’d be strong in trivia lol. Hah, sounds good! Be safe :)

[@toddswanson2822]

Good luck, Ryan. Monkey bites aren’t good. Better you stick to petting your own Monkey 😅

[@ryfree]

An excellent point and an even better suggestion. Thanks Todd! 😂

[@Art_Wine_And_Anarchy]

If you want to risk hepatitis, pet the monkey! It sounds like you need more hobbies, as badly as I need to finally get settled and get a girlfriend. Very soon, I will write my letter of resignation from my third-world sh!t whole job here in Yuanlin and move to New Taipei to work in a place that's exactly how I envisioned Taiwan. In any case, you should always fill your time by learning and creating. The DaVincis, Picassos, and Tolkiens of the world never allowed themselves to waste time or let people distract them from their work. When I taught Chinese painting back in Hawaii, I always got the question, "How long did it take to reach your level." I started answering that question by showing students stacks of practice paper where I practiced a single brush stroke hundreds of times. Then I replied, "It's not the time. It's how much work you put into the time." Since you like hiking, here's my first video in Taiwan. Maybe it will inspire you to invest in a camera: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIa5gGetgZWse68

[@ryfree]

Well you're absolutely right that hobbies and skills to work on are a good way to pass the time. I just watched your video and really liked your shots. Nice camera equipment as well. Let me know how the New Taipei gig turns out but from what you describe of the Yuanlin job, I gotta imagine it'll be better than that. Not to mention that Taipei is bursting with options (jobs, food, fun, and of course women) so the location will be great.

[@Art_Wine_And_Anarchy]

@@ryfree Yuanlin is probably the worst teaching job I've ever had! I'd rather have my first s-hole job back in China! At least they provided adequate resources for their teachers! These guys will make three of us share one book, so if one teacher is giving a lesson, you have to give it up and make your lesson plans later! I'll bet there are poor schools in Africa that provide better for their teachers than this!

[@ryfree]

@@Art_Wine_And_Anarchy Yikes! Time to run lol

[@sirpaddlesworthiii5933]

show us your gf 🙃

[@ryfree]

Let me ask her first but I promise that I'll try my best lol.