I am not a morning person. For years, I accepted early classes, lectures, and Chinese character dictation questions without complaint and without choice, but the arrangement was hardly optimal. I reached breaking point the summer after my sophomore year in college.

Riding on the back of a scooter is an exercise in letting go. Your ride shows up and leaves the engine idling; they hand you a spare helmet; you throw your leg over and before you can remember what you were so damn worried about ... it's happening. At some magical point of weaving through choked streets lit by illegible billboards — up and under narrow one-lane overpasses — passing chicken trucks and ever-menacing blue pickups, the secret fear of handing control over to a stranger slides away and gets left behind like an old self.

I've been wracking my brain for days trying to come up with the perfect topic for this piece. Something that would offer insight and wit, with just the right amount of humor. But alas, nothing came. And as the deadline drew near, I had no other choice but to review each and every detail of my trip in the most methodical manner I knew how. But once again, to no avail.

I remember seeing a television remote control when I was 4 years old, back in my home in Glasgow, Scotland. “Made in Taiwan” was written across the bottom.

Being a foreigner in Taiwan is a funny thing. The way you meet people and the relationships you have with them in Taiwan are completely different from the way you get in touch with people in your native country.

My first impression of Taiwan when I came back last time in January was the revamped Terminal 1 of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. I noticed there were a lot of signs courting Chinese tourists in the Airport's duty free shops. I also found that there seemed to be a lot more R.O.C. flags hanging along the main roads of Taipei.

We always have a great time in Taiwan.

The most common occupation of us foreigners in Taiwan is teaching English. Whether we be post graduates looking for a year abroad to earn money or a person interested in immersing themselves in Taiwanese culture for an unknown duration, all are in high demand.

About a year and a half ago I had the chance of doing an internship in mainland China. After four years of studying Chinese I felt this was the best way of furthering my language skills. It was a great experience, pushing me to apply for a master's in Taiwan. So far I've been here for almost three months and until now have really enjoyed my stay.

Taipei was the first Asian city that I visited and I couldn't have chosen better! As a Portuguese, I was interested by the fact that my compatriots had once called Taiwan “Formosa” and now I understand why!