Taipei-Phillipines

Two countries so close, but different in so many ways. From the Spanish-sounding words of Tagalog to the crisp-yet-elegant tones of Mandarin. In the country made up of thousands of islands, the smell of fish sauce wafts through the air. Only a two-hour plane ride flight away, stinky tofu overpowers everything else. 

When looking at the neon signs that fill the streets of Taipei, you might notice the spelling… Sometimes Tamsui might be Dansui. In Manila, all you see is the English alphabet, as it is used in Tagalog. Going to Filipino malls, you’ll hear a good amount of English. In The Philippines, malls aren’t places to break the bank but to hang out with friends. In Taipei however, coffee shops are a more popular place to hang out, filled with Chinese chatter with little to no English. English is Taiwan’s Achilles heel, they don’t use it often. People here will try to use English, and we always had Google Translate. 

In the city of boba tea, education is as essential as food. Libraries are not just for reading, but for studytime as well. Filipinos look forward to Sundays when they can go to church, then have quality time with friends and family with traditional Filipino food. Taiwan and the Philippines are so different, but I love both of them.