上班族必備軟實力

*Richard has been living in Taiwan for more than 15 years and loves to whatch things happen.

In my neighborhood in Oklahoma of the USA, nothing ever changes much. The big street around the corner still has the same buildings. Some of the buildings have different stores than they used to, but all in all, they are the same. There’s a taco place, a chicken place, a hamburger place, a Chinese takeout, and a Chinese buffet. Over the years, the names change, but the function and ethnicity remain fairly stable. In the winter the icy streets and windswept alleys retain a ghostly quality that remains quiet and eerie. In the summer the hot steamy streets and wind blasted alleys retain the same ghostly quality that remains quiet and eerie.

Taipei is, on the other hand, in a seemingly perpetual state of flux. A lot of things have changed in Taipei since I first arrived 15 years ago. There was no MRT back then, and the Taipei zoo didn’t have any pandas. The city and the country are changing right before my eyes. It has been thrilling to watch it happen.

You can see construction on almost every block. New buildings, new housing, new stores, and new opportunities for the people are everywhere you look.

I see new parks being built. Daan Park was a slum area when I got here and then they put in the park and planted trees and now it is a beautiful area to recreate in. There is less pollution in general in the country. Dansui river is now clean enough to swim in once again.

My first taxi ride in Taipei was down Roosevelt road in Taipei. The road was all torn up by the construction of the MRT. I thought the driver was crazy and I was scared and dizzy. But today, that stretch of MRT along Roosevelt road is finished, but the road is still a mess due to work on a different MRT line. Some things don’t change.

The major roads were always jammed with cars during rush hour. But today, with more public transportation and dedicated bus lanes, they are still jammed with cars during rush hour. It would be hard to imagine what it would be like without the progress that has been made.

But the thing that has most changed most, is me. Besides being a little older and a lot fatter, I am more grateful than ever to be living in this wonderful place. I’ll see you later when my next article comes out.

【作者介紹】

Richard 是一位台灣女婿，在台灣生活15年，喜愛台灣文化，以風趣幽默的文筆，細膩獨特的觀點，介紹在台灣生活的趣事，一起跟著Richard探訪外國人的台灣世界吧！