Our new home in Hualien, Taiwan

(Hualien city)

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After living in Canada for 37 years, I decided to relocate to a hidden paradise called Hualien. My wife is Taiwanese, so it is going home for her but a new culture for me and our daughter who was born in Canada. This blog is intended to document our experiences in our new chosen home. Please come back often to see more updates, and throw in a comment or two....

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by: Retired in Hualien

After living in Canada for 37 years, I decided to relocate to a hidden paradise called Hualien. My wife is Taiwanese, so it is going home for her but a new culture for me and our daughter who was born in Canada. Unlike most expats who are either teaching or working on a temporary basis here in Taiwan, I am a young retiree who plan to call this home for the foreseeable future. I am interested in knowing and meeting other expats, and other fellow Canadians, to share, learn, and exchange helpful info and ideas.

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Latest posts on Our new home in Hualien, Taiwan

A little night music.... Posted on 05/05/2013

Hualien has a high population of indigenous people, which adds diversity to local culture. Much of these is expressed thru music and dance, and recently, I discovered a local spot which... Read more

In Taipei to see old friends Posted on 05/05/2013

Jackson, Nancy & Bo lum were in Taipei recently, with Allen & Daisy hosting a dinner at the gorgeous Yang Ming Shan. Great to see old friends, especially in this part of the world,... Read more

Spring break Posted on 19/03/2013

Its time to visit my bro in HK and friends on the mainland.My bro is very busy these days, flying all over China for his wine company, so I managed to have lunch with him & Irene, and... Read more

Hokkaido Japan Posted on 22/01/2013

Its middle of winter and we want to see a real winter wonderland. We joined a 5 day tour to Hokkaido, which is one of the four main islands of Japan, to the north.Winter begins in Nov and... Read more

Happy new year! Posted on 16/01/2013

We took a trip down south to Kenting, as locals call it "hawaii of Taiwan". Indeed, it is quite tropical with many natural sandy beaches.....Palm trees swaying, western bars,... Read more

Season's greetings from Hualien! Posted on 31/12/2012

December is a hectic month here in Hualien, as we attend X'mas parties, Birthday parties, concerts, recitals, and many dinners in between.Here are some videos from some of our... Read more

Toastmasters at TCU Posted on 05/12/2012

Recently, we (Hualien Toastmasters) were invited by Tsu Chi University to host a presentation on Toastmasters for their faculty and students. It was well received, thanks to all the help I... Read more

October fest Posted on 30/10/2012

Here are some videos depicting life in Hualien during October, sorry, no beer.Lala is growing up quickly, she is now seven months old, and very familiar with her surroundings. She is 90%... Read more

A weekend in Yuli Posted on 25/09/2012

Yuli is about two hours drive from Hualien city, a very pretty small town which we visited last weekend with friends.Yuli is known for its hot springs.......but the next two videos show an... Read more

Beacon Hill tennis gang Posted on 22/08/2012

Its been a glorious two months in Victoria, and awesome tennis at the hill, Beacon hill that is. I started playing at BH in 1979, but played very little from 1986 to 2009, due to various... Read more

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dear Retired in Hualien...you best me to it. Am planning on retiring to Hualien, currently in Taipei. Probably in future will bump into you.

By john 2012-03-12, 07h19
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I live in Hualien, not Tainan. But I imagine things should be similar. Chinese is a complex language, as long as you pick up some everyday useful phrases, you will get by. There are many English speaking Taiwanese, and also in every city, there is a large enough community of expats. Many foreigners come to Taiwan to teach English...Here in Hualien, a 4 bedroom home rents for about $600 to $800 US a month. Pools are a luxury and most homes do not have them. Tainan is much more affordable than Taipei, and weather is better also. Good luck.
By Retired in Hualien 2010-06-15, 03h28
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So my husband has been offered an expat to Tainan. We live in Silicon Valley, south of San Francisco. He has been to Tainan several times, I never. Do they have homes in Tainan, or is it all apartments like Taipei? I speak English, German, French, Spanish, but NO CHINESE. Will that be a huge problem? How quickly can one learn the language? How much should I expect to pay for a 3-4 bedroom apartment with a pool in Tainan? Do they have libraries with English books? Do you mind answering all these stupid questions I seem to have?

veena
By veenasterling 2010-06-11, 23h27
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Our new home in Hualien, Taiwan

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